


31 Days of Bledgeup

by BlueDysania



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: 31 days of christmas, Bedtime Stories, Candy Canes, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Letters, Christmas Lights, Christmas Movies, Christmas Ornaments, Christmas Party, Christmas Puns, Christmas Shopping, Christmas Tree, Cuddles, Dadster, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Good W. D. Gaster, Homemade Ornaments, Hurt/Comfort, Ice Skating, Innuendo, Kisses, M/M, Mistletoe, Multi, Oblivious Sans, Polyamory, Protective Edge, Protective Red, Red Needs Help, Romance, Sans Being Carried, Sexual Content, Sharing a Bed, Shy Sans, Sick Red, Small Sans, Threesome, fireplace, gingerbread, puns, tags to be added per chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-02-09 02:23:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 43,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12878181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDysania/pseuds/BlueDysania
Summary: Papyrus is off to Italy for a free school trip. He'll be gone for an entire month and he worries for his big brother all alone at home for Christmas. So he has the brilliant idea to invite Sans' date-mates to keep him company.Edge and Red and Sans for 31 days of holiday togetherness!UPDATE 11/02/18: Chapter 6 Rewritten!





	1. Nov 30 - Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a 31 Days of Christmas project! Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.
> 
> Updated on 5/20!

Papyrus hung up the phone with a frown.

My, that had not gone quite as he had hoped.

He was glad his human friend and roommate was absent for more than the privacy to make his phone call now. He could not summon his usual positivity and he did not want to field any concerns about the frown now gracing his face. It was a terrible burden, being so Great as he must be for others.

Papyrus steepled his fingers, narrowing his eyelights on the flyer resting innocently on his work desk and the ticket paper clipped to it.

He scowled and grumbled to the two slips of paper, "YOU ARE CAUSING MORE PROBLEMS THAN YOU ARE WORTH."

Which was an impressive feat considering what they were for. The elegant script on the flyer was bold and explained quite flatteringly about an all-expenses paid, month long trip to Italy for a chosen 10 students attending the Ebott Culinary Academy. In order to make it fair, the prize, being the trip to Italy, was not announced at first. The Academy set up an optional contest; an Italian cuisine contest. Papyrus had jumped at the chance to compete and been the first choice for his spaghetti. That alone had made his _entire_ _year_.

Afterwards, he and the other top 10 contestants were called together and informed of their incredible opportunity. They'd each been given a flyer with all the appropriate information and a single ticket attached. Everything was arranged. All he had to do was alert the school that he would be participating in the trip and to pack his bags.

Now, at any other time, Papyrus would have lit up like a thousand suns and shouted his glee from the roof of the Academy. Instead he had accepted it with perfect manners and silently returned to his dorm room. A conflictive knot forming in his Soul with every step he took. Once he'd arrived in his dorm room Papyrus had sat down for a nearly a half an hour in silence as he thought about his dilemma.

The trip was the perfect opportunity to further his already impressive culinary skills. He would have the chance to meet world renowned chefs. Not to mention that it was Italy, the home of his favorite type of food, surely, he would find even more ways to make his famous dish even better!

What's more it was _free_!

In a way that had nothing to do with his personal hopes and dreams, Papyrus was so grateful for that fact. His older brother worked so hard to give him the best he could ever want, most of the time using his own funds to do so. It was how it had always been. Papyrus was not proud of that, and he carried some shame in not realizing sooner the sacrifices Sans had made for him while growing up. After completing two years in the Academy, Papyrus had been able to get a job working at a local restaurant and he made sure to always contribute what he could; not that Sans let him give away too much.

"paps you worked hard for that paycheck. you should get something _you_ want with it. don't worry about the bills, i got it handled."

Why could his dear older brother not apply that sentiment to himself?

Papyrus knew that if he were to go to his brother about this trip and it wasn't free, he would still find himself on the plane heading for Italy, despite what that might mean for Sans' own wallet. So, he was grateful… so, _so_ grateful. Sans would not need to stress himself even more than he already was about paying for half his tuition, the rent, and monthly bills.

It was a dream come true!

Except… it was in December.

Logistically, it was the only month that the Academy could arrange on being given such short notice by the Board of Education.

Personally, it was the worst month to have such a tempting opportunity present itself.

How could he bear to be away from his big brother during the holiday they loved the most? It was their favorite time of the year, memories of being in their Underground and Snowdin and surrounded by snow and the cheerful denizens of their cozy town.

The answer had been simple. He couldn't. So, he had resolved to say nothing and if Sans found out, then Papyrus would simply tell him that he had forgotten all about it until after the turn-in date had passed.

Of course, it wasn't a matter of ' _if_ ' Sans found out, rather ' _when_ ' Sans found out. There wasn't much that got past his brilliant big brother when it came to his happiness.

He'd gotten the call this evening and even as he exuberantly greeted his brother, he had an inkling that this particular phone call would be about the Italy trip and once again wondered how Sans came to know things that he should have no rightly reason to know. As he had expected, Sans urged him to go.

"NO."

"aw, c'mon Paps, you gotta go."

"I THINK NOT!"

"this is the chance you've been waiting for, isn't it?"

"BUT SANS, IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

"… yeah. but it's okay, bro. there's always next year, right?"

"…Y-YOU'LL BE ALL ALONE, BROTHER. I… I DO NOT THINK I LIKE THE IDEA OF YOU CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAY ALL BY YOURSELF."

"heeeey, who's the big brother here? i'll be fine, Paps. you can't turn this down. it's Italy, bro."

"BUT… OH DEAR…"

"which one?"

"… SANS!"

Sans had won the argument in the end of course. As Great as he was, Papyrus didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to these kinds of arguments with his brother. Sans just wanted to make him happy and he, for all his attempts to be kind and the best friend anyone could have, was not exactly the most selfless of monsters. He was proud that some believed that of him, but he _could_ be selfish and Sans always knew how to convince him that sometimes it was okay to be.

So, here he was with his cellphone in hand, finished finalizing his position on the trip where he would be having the time of his life in twenty-four hours and Sans was back home… alone… for an entire month.

Papyrus sighed.

If only there was someone he could call who would be willing to check in on his big brother. Sans was great friends with Miss Toriel but she worked at the Grade School during the week and taking care of their dear friend Frisk, she would be much too busy. He thought about calling Grillby too, but he shook his head with a sigh. The holiday season always caused the pub to overflow with patrons which meant the fire elemental would also be far too busy to pay the appropriate amount of time and attention to Sans without threatening his livelihood.

He needed someone like… someone like his beloved Mettaton! His dear mate who always made time in his schedule to give him a call and even surprise him with visits on the weekends!

"THAT'S IT!" Papyrus shot up, a wide smile taking over his expression of serious consideration. How could he have forgotten? There was someone, or rather _someones_ , that could fill those hot pink high heels in Sans' life! Well, perhaps not as good as Mettaton did but they did wear edgy black boots so there was that.

Nonetheless Papyrus had given them his approval; and if this turned out to be a test of sorts for their fittingness to be his big brother's mates then no one but Papyrus needed to know.

 

 

* * *

 

_I'm okay._

_I'm okay._

_This is for Papyrus._

_It's only a month._

_I am totally okay with this._

Sans sat on the couch, slumped deeply into the cushions as he stared into the black screen of the TV. The faintest of shivers overtook him every few minutes as he attempted to talk himself down from the tightness enveloping his chest. The silence that had overtaken the house after he'd hung up seemed much more intimidating than it had this morning. Before, it was just ' _the silence before Papyrus gets home_ '. Now it was just silence because there was no one here but him.

Feeling the tight pressure starting to build again, Sans hopped off the couch. He shuffled to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of ketchup. A faint smile curled his teeth as he popped the lid off and took a large gulp of it. He could almost hear his brother scolding him for his bad habit.

It was a good idea, Sans told himself.

A _free_ trip to _Italy_! It was Papyrus' biggest dream.

He regretted nothing.

Making his way back to the couch, he resolved to actually turn on the TV. As he grabbed the remote he decided that he might not turn if off for the entire month, electricity bill be damned, or this silence was going to drive him crazy.

He'd just hit the power button when he heard the doorbell ring. Blinking in surprise, he glanced at the clock and wondered who would be coming by at 10pm. He hadn't been expecting anyone… had he? Holding his ketchup bottle close to his chest, he walked over to the door and hesitated as a wave of nausea that had nothing to do with chugging nearly half a ketchup bottle hit him hard.

For a moment his mind raced with the hazy figments of his nightmares, each covered in dust waiting outside the door for him to invite them inside. His breath quickened, caught deep in his throat-

-he shook his head roughly, so hard he stumbled a step back. No. _No_. It wasn't a nightmare behind the door, it wasn't a _human_ intending to hurt him.

He had to believe that.

Resolutely he opened the door and looked out with an ~~anxious~~ firm smile, ready to greet whoever was there without fear. The greeting died on the tip of his tongue as he recognized exactly who was standing on his porch.

He looked up at Red, and then farther up at Edge, and asked dumbly, "did we have a date?"

A beat of silence and then Red nearly doubled over in laughter.

Sans flushed, it had been the first thing he had thought of. He couldn't imagine why else his date-mates would be at his door this late. But now that he really took a moment to look at them… they did have suitcases. "i, uh, i mean, c-can i help you?"

Edge placed a firm hand on top of Red's head. As Red choked back his laughter, snickers still slipping past his mirthful smirk, the taller Aster brother explained, "You brother called and informed us you would be alone for the holiday. He asked if we would keep you company if we 'had the time'."

The brothers in front of him exchanged a quick look at the end of Edge's statement, some sort of communication passing between the two that caused Red's smirk to soften slightly.

"yer bro also mentioned the guest room and how 'conveniently empty' it was." The amusement in his tone told Sans that it hadn't been a subtle mention, "so we came prepared." Red idly kicked his suitcase with a steel-toed boot.

' _aw Paps…_ ' Sans thought fondly. He smiled sheepishly up at Edge, "oh, uh, he worries to much sometimes. you don't have to stay."

Edge's head tilted very slightly, narrowed eyelights watching him with the usual intensity. There was a slight frown on his face that cleared as he spoke, "You are our date-mate, Sans. We are pleased to do this for you." He paused, and then continued in a quieter, but no less strong, voice. "Unless you do not wish us to stay."

Sans considered it for a moment, turning his ketchup bottle in his hands. "…no. no, please come in. we only have one guest room but…"

"that'll work just fine." Red drawled, earning a sharp look from Edge. The younger Aster picked up his suitcase and stepped inside. He paused by Sans' side and then switched his suitcase into his other hand so he could lean in. Sans barely registered the motion before making an undignified squeak as Red planted a kiss to the side of his skull, "by the way... hello sweetheart."

Edge entered as Red walked further inside with his head held high and smiling like a cat with cream. Sans felt the brief caress of a clawed phalange on the top of his skull and a pleasant shiver ran down his neck from the sensation. He met Edge's gaze and saw the warmth shining in his sockets before he strode after Red, calling out, "Whelp, you will not dump your suitcase on the floor! This is not your house!"

Sans stared as the Aster brothers disappeared into the guest room, Edge dragging both suitcases and Red by his collar in the process, and slowly closed the front door.

If his face _wasn't_ glowing blue, he would be surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	2. Dec 1 - Christmas Lights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.
> 
>  
> 
> Updated on 5/29!

 

When Sans woke up on December 1st, he initially forgot there were guests in his house.

Blearily opening his sockets against the morning light, he eyed the digital clock on his bedside table and sighed. He turned over and burrowed his head under his pillow. It was at least an hour past when Papyrus would wake him up, a sharp reminder that his brother was not home; and would not be home for the entire month.

It wasn't like Sans wasn't used to Papyrus being gone for long periods of time anymore. He'd gotten used to it when Papyrus was attending the Academy but this was different. It would be the first time they did not spend Christmas together. The very first time that Sans would be on his own on their favorite holiday.

But it was also the perfect opportunity for his little brother to grow into his chosen career. And going to Italy was a dream he knew Papyrus had harbored every since they arrived on the Surface and discovered just how large the world was. How could he ever be upset about Papyrus not being here for a reason like that?

He'd known what would happen when he had urged Papyrus to sign up for the trip and he regretted nothing about that phone call.

It was only that Sans hadn’t known just how lonely it would feel after he had hung up the phone. Or how much lonelier he felt after thinking about Christmas without his brother.

Sans curled up under his pillow and blanket. It was fine. He was just fine.

He hoped Papyrus was having fun in Italy.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sans was roused from sleep once again, though this time it was due to a hand firmly but gently squeezing his shoulder. His sleep-addled brain almost called out to Papyrus for five more minutes except even as he let himself be pulled over onto his back, he realized that the hand was noticeably larger than Papyrus'. His brow furrowed in confusion.

"Sans, I have allowed you to sleep long enough. I will not allow you to wallow the day away."

The raspy voice startled him and he opened his sockets to find Edge beside his bed. Sans blinked a few times up at him, trying to clear the sleep from his head as he tried to figure out why Edge was even in his bedroom.

' _oh_.' Sans remembered now. ' _Paps called the Asters over to keep me company._ ' His little brother was so cool. Papyrus knew him far too well, he'd been foolish to think Papyrus would overlook Sans' situation and do nothing about it.

The thought behind the gesture was warming but Sans wasn't entirely sure if he liked the fact his date-mates were here.

It wasn't that he didn't like them. Far from it, Sans absolutely loved spending time with his date-mates but he'd never spent so much uninterrupted time with… well, anyone except his brother. He didn't want them to be disappointed with him if he failed to hold up to their expectations of a partner. He knew that monsters from Underfell tended to be selective about the ones they chose to love. They had to in their kill-or-be-killed world. They valued strength and the ability to survive over all.

Most everyone who knew Sans could tell the Aster brothers that he was far from the strongest monster nor did his stats give the most glowing outlook of survival in harsh conditions. He was sure they knew all of that already but… they would have twenty-four seven observations of him and Sans was more than a little scared that they would _see_ him and be left wanting.

The hand on his shoulder squeezed slightly and Sans jolted out of his anxious self-musings.

"uh… morning?" He murmured thickly and Edge raised a brow in skepticism.

Sans glanced at the clock again and found it was nearly noon, almost two hours after he'd woken the first time. Glancing at Edge he sheepishly smiled, "good afternoon?"

Edge released his grip on Sans' shoulder and crossed his arms, "Up. Brunch is prepared downstairs."

Sans sat up as Edge slipped out, leaving his door ajar. He was just setting feet on the floor when he heard Edge suddenly shout, "Whelp! You will wait for our host!"

The intelligible drawl of Red's gravelly voice followed shortly after, then the sound of a clatter of silverware. Sans grinned to himself as Red's subsequent growl was cut off by a deeper growl that nearly vibrated in the air. That particular habit always amused him to no end. He'd tried making a growl like theirs in private, after all it _had_ to be a skeleton monster thing if they could do it, but to no avail.

As funny as it might be to listen in on one of their arguments, Sans figured it was probably best he go downstairs before anything broke. Papyrus treasured his kitchen and the Asters tended to be… well, _Red_ wasn't always exactly delicate.

He pulled on his shorts and white T-shirt, slipped on his fuzzy slippers, chuckled at his own pun, and shuffled out of his room with hands deep in his short pockets. He peered into the kitchen to assess any damages. Red was slouched and scowling at the table while Edge deftly plated what Sans assumed was their plates respectively with one hand. Red's full plate was held aloft and out of reach in his other hand.

Perhaps it was because it had been cooking while he'd been asleep that he hadn't really noticed at first, but the full-frontal assault of absolutely delicious aromas overwhelmed Sans and he could feel his tongue beginning to form behind his teeth. He swallowed reflexively as he hurriedly made his way to the table. _Wow_ , it smelled good.

Don't misunderstand. Sans loved his brother and Papyrus had made leaps and bounds from his Underground cooking but Sans was still a little hesitant to call his creations masterpieces unless Papyrus was working off a strict recipe. Every dish he made at the restaurant he worked at looked and tasted wonderful.

When he was at home however, Papyrus liked to experiment. And Sans, loving older brother that he was, was his willing guinea pig.

"morning." Sans hopped up and took his seat at the table. He looked around the kitchen and was surprised at the selection of ingredients that decorated the countertops. With Papyrus gone for months at a time, Sans tended to stock up on long-lasting snacks and eat at Grillby's often in order to avoid heading to the Downtown Market. Last he'd checked there hadn't been more than a few boxes of frozen waffles, milk, ketchup bottles, a couple pieces of fruit, some snack and dinner trays, and a few cheese wedges. He knew for a fact that last night there hadn’t been any of the foodstuffs that were now on the counter in the refrigerator.

Which meant that Edge had to go out and buy groceries _for_ him.

Sans felt a little guilty despite the rational part of his brain telling him he'd had no clue his date-mates were planning on being here in the first place.

Red perked up from his sulking with a grin, straightening just slightly, "heh, mornin' sweetheart."

Sans blushed at the endearment and pointedly looked away from Red's widening fangs. Instead he addressed Edge with a note of apology, "sorry about the groceries. i'll pay you back for the food."

Red's grin twitched but Sans couldn't dwell on it when Edge turned from the stove to pin him with a reproachful stare. Sans shrank under it, feeling scolded without a single word.

"hey, don't worry about it sweetheart. wasn't like yer knew we'd be bargin' in last night, right?" Red nearly echoed Sans' own thoughts as he leaned over and brushed one of his hands comfortingly.

Despite the justification, Sans still felt the need to argue the point. They were doing them, _him_ , a favor here. His date-mates didn't need to spend money on a favor they were doing for someone else. Unfortunately, he was completely distracted when Edge was suddenly right beside him. Edge balanced the plates masterfully and slid one of them along his arm to settle neatly on the table in front of Sans. As he settled on the opposite side of the table with his own plate, Sans looked down and nearly drooled.

The omelet was like something out of a magazine. All fluffy and white and packed with greens and reds and was that diced ham too? Melted cheese dripped off the sides it was so fresh. Beside that were three slices of bacon perfectly crisped and golden brown. He could still hear it sizzling gently on his plate.

Sans dug in, biting back a moan at the heavenly taste. He'd never had Edge's home cooking before but he hoped to have the chance again. Maybe if he asked nicely, Edge would agree to cook while they were here if Sans bought the groceries? It made him feel a little nauseas, thinking about how often he might have to go to the grocery store this month but he didn't want to be a burden either. If he just ran in and out, nice and quick… surely, he'd be able to handle that right?

Already a quarter through his omelet, Sans looked up, licking his teeth, "hey, Edge would you… uh…" Sans trailed off as he noticed neither of his date-mates had started eating yet. Red was leaning on a hand and completely ignoring the plate Edge had put in front of him, face tilted to watch him eat with his singular eyelight pulsing every few seconds. At the other end of the table Edge almost seemed to be preening as, he too, watched him eat. "… um, you guys don't have to wait for me, you know? you could have ate before i woke up, too…" He looked meaningfully at Red.

Neither seemed particularly concerned or bolstered by his words but Red did pick up his fork, chuckling. Another one of those looks were exchanged between the Asters and Sans wondered what it was they were saying now. As a bonded pair, he had witnessed them communicate this way many times. He'd mused what it was like to have that kind of boundless bond… but he tried not to fantasize too much. Best not raise his hopes too high.

"nah, Boss has a point on this one. it's yer home, yer food, yer get first dibs."

Sans tilted his head, "it's not really _my_ food…", glancing over at the freshly bought groceries.

"It pleases me to cook for you, Sans." Edge cut in, slicing into his omelet, "It pleases me more to know you enjoy what I have cooked for you. That is payment enough."

"but-!"

"I will not hear another word of it. We are imposing in your home, this will be my contribution for your hospitality. Leave your meals to me."

Sans was left speechless by Edge's brusque remarks. Demands, even. He felt what might have been a slight flush rising on his cheeks and took another bite as he ducked his head.

"don't argue with the Boss, sweetheart."

"Perhaps you can practice what you preach, whelp."

"eeeh, sure Boss, sure…"

Sans smiled, peeking up at their antics. This wasn't bad at all. "thanks."

 

 

* * *

 

 

"whatcha doin' there, sweetheart?"

Sans looked up from the piles of boxes he was surrounded by, arms deep in one that he had set aside the day before. He'd taken the initiative of bringing out all the Christmas boxes from the shed earlier last week. Sans had meant for it to be a surprise for Papyrus since his little brother liked to jump into decorating as soon as the month began.

He'd spotted the boxes in the corner of the living room after breakfast. However, he spent most of the day, familiarizing the Asters with the house and informing them strictly to treat the kitchen with respect. Red had promised to never use the oven or stove after said lecture.

Afterwards he took a nap on the couch while Edge headed out for work; he'd been a lot more active today than he'd been the entire last week.

Upon waking up he'd found Red dozing on the opposite side of the couch and heard Edge presumably preparing something for dinner in the kitchen. His gaze had found the boxes once more and he'd decided to quietly dig through a few of them without disturbing Red. Maybe figure out which ones he'd use this year and which ones to pack away again. He wasn't sure if he'd do anything with the decorations today, but he could get an idea of what to use at least.

He had tried to be quiet, but now he wondered if Red had been asleep at all by just how alertly the other skeleton was watching him.

"these are our Christmas decorations." He pulled at a section of cord from the tangle to display to Red, "this box is all the house lights."

Red hopped off the couch and leaned over to peer down into the box with a raised brow. Then he looked over at the small mountain of boxes stacked in the corner, "all of these are decorations?" He whistled, looking a bit impressed, maybe even a little disbelieving, "that's a lotta stuff, isn't it?"

Sans blinked, "it's just the normal stuff?" The muted clicking of heeled boots told him that Edge was approaching from the kitchen. The taller stepped up beside them as Sans asked, "you don't use a lot of decorations at your house?"

Edge made a thoughtful sound. He was eyeing the boxes with a similar gleam of interest, though he seemed much more contemplative about it than Red, "No. Underfell did not tolerate such things. And here on the Surface much of my work requires me to be away, often for long periods of time." He reached for the strand in Sans' hand and the little skeleton relinquished it. "Besides my brother never willingly decorated anything without… _motivation_." He explained giving a sideways glare to said skeleton as he began to untangle the cords into long, neat lines.

Red, who had begun opening the other boxes out of curiosity, gave them both a shit-eating grin and a wink, "what can i say, 'm lazy bones on any holiday, Boss. and your _motivation_ ain't anything to scoff at."

Edge huffed, sounding irritated but Sans could spot the fond light in his crimson eyelights. "Nonetheless, when did you plan to start?"

"huh?"

"You took the initiative to bring all these boxes here." Sans wondered if he was imagining the approval in Edge's smile and tone. "You must have planned to put them up eventually."

"oh, uh, me and Paps were gonna set up today when he got home… i figured i'd put them up another day though." Sans answered, brow dipping at the sudden remembrance of Papyrus's absence. For a moment he'd forgotten his brother was not coming home for another month.

Above his head, the Asters exchanged a loaded glance. Red shrugged, closing the box he had been sifting through and Edge lowered the now perfectly coiled lights into the box.

"Which boxes contain the decorations that will go outside?"

Sans shuffled around the stacked boxes, pointing out only two others and then crouching to he could pull some thinner boxes with the pictures of reindeer figurines from between the small mountain and the wall. "this should be everything…"

Edge quickly gathered the two boxes Sans pointed out as well as the box of lights, "Come along then. The soup is simmering and will likely be done by the time we finish." Already striding to the door.

"um…" Sans yelped as the figurine box suddenly lifted upwards, a light red shimmer covering it. He glanced over at Red who was directing the box after his brother with a single finger. "you don't have to…" Sans meant to say _help_ but faltered as he realized how ungrateful it sounded. He floundered for the right words to convey that he didn't want them to do anything they didn't need to do.

Edge, who had stopped with his free hand on the front door, turned when Sans failed to finish his sentence. Again, there was a slight reproach to his stare, but this time it was tempered with something close to understanding.

"You and my brother are not so different I've observed, when it comes to procrastination. I would wager if left to your own devices you would not hang these lights for days, if not weeks. So, I will assist you and ensure they are put up promptly and correctly." Edge stated firmly, opening the door. He grabbed the box Red had levitated toward him out of the air and disappeared outside.

Sans found himself at a loss for words but feeling, ironically, grateful. A hand gently hauled him to his feet and wrapped around his shoulder. Sans wasn't sure whether to shrug out from under the arm for a brief second. He knew he had developed a bit of a bad habit of avoiding anyone touching him. It had started in the Underground but he had no idea when the aversion had developed into what it was today. Sans was relieved to feel only Red's warmth and no discomfort whatsoever.

Red led him to the door, "no use, arguin' with him, sweetheart. sooner we finish, sooner we can get _warm_."

Sans blushed coolly at the innuendo, made somehow more impactful by the low, graveling tone matched with it. He nodded quickly and Red chuckled against his skull, pulling him closer as they entered the winter wind.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It had come together pretty well in Sans' opinion.

The plastic wreath that they'd found in the Dump years ago and kept in pristine condition was hung up on the door with a brand new red ribbon tied at the top. Another ribbon was tied to the porch light fixture while one last bow was wrapped around a bundle of five pine logs that Sans gathered from the shed and plopped beside the front door.

Meeting the stares of Edge and Red head on, Sans simply stared back grinning. Waiting. Hoping.

Red broke first, looking between the logs and Sans, "sweetheart… why'd yer put these outside?"

"they were being _knotty_."

Edge's socket twitched. Red burst into laughter loud enough to echo in the night.

At Sans' request, Red had gone off to the shed to retrieve another decoration he'd spotted while grabbing the logs, snickering as he went. He reemerged with an armful of large plastic, cartoonish candy canes. Looking completely bemused at the sight of them, Red began to set them up around the yard.

Edge had enlisted Sans to assist him as Red meandered through his task and Sans happily followed his lead.

Together they placed the dainty reindeer figures into a charming little scene of peace on the lawn. At the bottom of the box, Sans was delighted to discover an inflatable snowman squished at the bottom. It took little effort for them to plug the snowman in and Sans felt an inexplicably nostalgic excitement at seeing it inflate, the feeling lingering as they moved onto the last box; the lights.

Red, finally finished with his placing of the candy canes, had asked about the dual red and green lights being the only color on the strands. The other houses, the ones with monsters who had begun their own decorating earlier in November, glistened in multi-colored lights or sparkled with the plain yellowish white.

"heh, i asked Pap if he wanted some new ones. he was determined to track these down though. said they reminded him of home. had to leave our old lights in the Underground. they ran on the Core."

It had been a disappointment for many monsters. The Surface wasn't compatible with the energy provided by the Core, so much had been left behind. Though, more than enough had been brought with them and most of what couldn't integrate on the Surface had replacements similar if not nearly identical. Such as the red and green Christmas lights.

Satisfied with his answer, Red turned on his heel and headed straight back into the shed. Sans might have followed out of curiosity (what could possibly be left in the shed?) but Edge distracted him, asking how Sans preferred his lights on the house.

They quickly mapped out a good system with the cords of lights they had. They got the roof, Papyrus' balcony, lined the upstairs and living room windows, and lastly, the porch's roof and support beams.

"well, fuck, looks pretty good…" Red called out from where he lounged on a lawn chair next to the grazing deer decorations. He'd dragged it out of the shed in the middle of their planning. Sans had to wonder if Papyrus had bought it and just never used it because he'd never seen it before tonight.

Or maybe Red had used a shortcut home and brought it over?

"Considering your saying so is the only thing you've done so far, you may." Edge replied bluntly, making Sans giggle as he continued to feed the lights up to the taller skeleton and used his other hand to levitate the nails he needed to secure them on the top of the porch roof's rim. Then rolled his eyes at Red's response.

"ey, come on Boss. i stuck those candy cane thingies along the walkway an' the sidewalk!"

"Yes. Very impressive." Edge deadpanned.

"alright. that's the last of it." Sans cut in as the last of the lights left his hands. As Edge finished securing it, Sans moved to the other end where the plug dangled free by the outlet. When Edge stepped back and gave him a nod, Sans plugged it in.

Sans backpedaled quickly as the house lit up and was joined by the Asters who flanked either side of him. The sight of all the Christmas lights glowing was nostalgic. Every year, he _loved_ this moment. He didn't miss the Underground, but Snowdin had been home for so long that it felt odd sometimes living up on the Surface in a house that was just different enough to be off-putting at times and looked like all the others on the block.

So, this moment was like coming home all over again.

"damn… ain't a bad sight at all." Red murmured quietly from beside him.

Sans smiled joyfully, unaware of the specks of blue glowing in his eyelights as he took in the wonderful sight in front of him.

Standing on either side of Sans, the Asters had eyelights only for the small skeleton between them, each with their own private expressions of affection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	3. Dec 2 - Christmas Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for cutting it so close, today was much busier than I thought it was gonna be! I found some nice reading music though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys 
> 
> I do not own artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.
> 
> Updated: 7/13/18

 

Edge had not been unaffected by the wonder of the Surface and all of its intricacies. To be honest, he had been overwhelmed by the sheer glare of the **sun** after breaching the cave once blocked by the Barrier. The warmth that had fallen on his bones had felt like a balm against his scars; and the _relief_ of reaching that point with his brother safe and whole by his side had almost been enough to make him break apart into pieces.

It was nearly a decade after the barrier of Undertale had been broken. Underfell's had quite abruptly shattered only a few months behind Undertale and so the newly merged kingdoms had, instead of the battle Edge knew could have erupted, decided that carving their place in this new reality was more important. The Queen, Edge's Queen, the only remaining Underfell Royalty after the monarch and matriarch disappeared for private council and only one emerged, dictated to her newly gained subjects the new Rules.

As a result, Edge had been able to see and learn much of the world that had been denied to monsterkind.

He… was unsurprised by his findings. Humans were a paradox of great kindness and great cruelties. Why there had been any belief that the Surface would be any less of a test of survival was hysterical. Life was coated in luxury and ignorance and law but the grim undertones of the prison he'd just left could be seen under the light of the sun.

Whilst watching the news, Edge had darkly wondered to himself more than once if monsterkind should have ever left their prisons. Perhaps in another hundred years or two there would have been no humans left to challenge their rise.

It did not matter.

They were here _now_ and he would be dusted first before he allowed any human cruelties to befall his brother.

… Nor the skeleton they were courting.

The speed in which his attraction to Sans Serif had developed had been swift but… unsurprising in hindsight.

Coming from their kill or be killed existence with no expectation for anything but hostility, tensions high and LV-lust churning in their skulls. Running into a small monster with all that aggression visible in the very way they stood and be greeted with a kind smile and such generous compassion that it should have rightly killed Sans years ago. Then learning second-hand that this monster walked around Underfell monsters with only one HP?

How could they have possibly resisted him?

Red has done horrible things. Edge has seen those acts firsthand and in fact had on more than one occasion been the one to order Red in the first place. His own hands were covered in so much dust he wondered how he could touch Sans' bones and not tarnish the pristine white with streaks of gray.

Neither Edge nor Red had divulged exactly how or why they'd gotten so much LV and for some time they'd waited, always ready for reality to come knocking and take this miracle away from them.

Sans never asked.

Edge stroked his fingers down the back of Sans' skull, watching attentively for the small shiver, ah there it was, that came from the motion. His fangs curled into a small smirk, it amused him that Sans did not seem to register the reaction.

A long-standing satisfaction was also a comfortable weight. That Sans trusted him, a monster with 13 LV to touch him in so vulnerable a spot. That he allowed Red who held a respectable 9 LV to nuzzle and grab at him from behind. He only ever smiled so fearlessly at them in response.

To dare to slumber with both of them a claws breadth away was an intoxicating thought.

So fragile and yet… he trusted them to keep him safe. In return for that trust he gave kindness and a sincere softness toward them that Edge found himself craving the more he was exposed to it. Red's ardent feelings in their bond reflected that same want.

Underfell would never release its bloody claws from their psyches but Sans and his little brother Papyrus were beacons of light to the delightful aspects of the Surface and what it had to offer.

Edge closed the folder containing the reports of the Fell Guards as they were now referred by. The report was specifically written on Undyne ***** currently in charge of security at the Monster Embassy. She was not unlike his former Captain, and friend, who had dusted many years ago. He was pleased by the reports his underlings produced of her work and capabilities in protecting the ruling monarchy and their human child.

If she had not been so capable, he would have been forced to intercede. Papyrus' high praises were not mere optimism, he noted to himself.

Placing the file on the coffee table, upon which was a now neatly stacked pile of completed paperwork, he sat back and returned his attention to Sans. The smaller skeleton had come up to him and asked if he could sit next to him while they worked. Edge had allowed this with the rule that Sans was to keep distractions to a minimum unless Edge said otherwise.

He expected this to dissuade his prospective mate, thinking that Sans had intended to keep him company which often involved conversation, but to his surprise Sans had not only agreed but opened a rather expensive looking laptop after sitting down and begun to type away dutifully in near-silence.

Respecting the confidentiality of their respective work, Edge had made no attempts to pry into what Sans was working on. He knew it was likely another request from the Queen although he was still in the dark regarding what exactly Sans did for her.

Whatever it was, it rarely required his physical presence. Edge was not entirely unhappy with that arrangement.

Nonetheless, it had been nearly four hours of continuous work for the both of them and while Edge could work double that with no problems, he could see Sans' posture slumping as the afternoon wore on. It was time for Sans to take a break.

A thought had occurred to him while decorating the house yesterday and he decided now would be as good a time as any to bring it up.

"Sans. There is something I must know."

It took a moment for Sans to blink and redirect his focus. Sans turned to him in a daze, "huh?" Edge waited and sure enough the startled look faded into a smile, "oh, sure."

It was by all outward appearances a benign question but to Edge it was one that aggravated him the longer it remained unanswered. He remembered precious few happy memories from when he was babybones and one of the brightest was the moments he caught sight of the stubborn oak in the middle of their hometown, decorated with bright colors and ribbons of sparkling fabric.

That grand tree had been one of the longest surviving memoirs of the days before their King had gone mad. Decades had passed since it had been cut down and used for wood.

Now, in this position of peace, Edge found himself wishing to resurrect it.

Only one thing was bothering him now.

"You and your brother do not use… _plastic_ … trees, do you?" Edge spat the word 'plastic' like the curse it was.

"um… no?" Sans answered, looking confused. His head tilted, the look of concern in his sockets had Edge's annoyance lessening in response. It wasn't Sans' fault that humans and many of their 'convenient' ideas rubbed him the wrong way.

He nodded, satisfied and pleased with his datemate's proof of common sense, "That is good. I can not stand them."

Sans didn't look surprised by his words, in fact he shrugged as he stroked his phalange over the keys of his laptop, "yeah, heh, Paps doesn't like them either. he calls them 'fake tree'. actually… hold on…" Sans tapped a few keys, reading something.

Edge's interest was piqued when Sans sent him a fleeting, unsure glance. He shifted closer with carefully crafted casualness, leaning to take a look just slow enough that Sans could shift the screen away if he chose. Instead, Sans turned his body toward him as well as the laptop and revealed what he had looked up.

A website showcased a few beautifully grown trees. They were as vibrant and lush as any tree that grew in the wild. In front of the banner at the top of the webpage was a picture of Gyftrot. A festive red ribbon was below the banner that read in glittering font ' **Gyftmas Tree Sale** '.

"Gyftrot has a small business selling pine trees during December. just checked his webpage, looks like it's up and running downtown." Sans explained, pointing at the duration date on the site. Edge took a closer look to read the caption under. It explained that all trees were carefully tended with magic to slow degeneration.

It was perfect, actually. It had bothered him last year when his only choice had been to illegally cut down a tree, and as Captain of the Fell Guard that was unacceptable no matter what Red said or lower his standards to pick a tree grown by humans who couldn't care less.

Sans continued over his musings, "it's, uh, it's probably gonna be crowded all day… but if we go tonight we might not have to wait in line."

Ah, the uncertain glances made since now.

The hesitation had nothing to do with approval, rather the idea of going to such a public place where monsters and _humans_ were sure to be gathering had unsettled his datemate. Edge was very pleased however that Sans was suggesting it. Some part of him was smug that Sans trusted Edge to protect him so much that he was willing to brave his fear to accommodate Edge's request. The other part bristled at the idea of taking his datemate somewhere that caused Sans so much distress.

He would not insult Sans' courage however and took out his phone, "Very well. I will inform my brother of our plans for tonight."

Sans closed his laptop with a quiet click and pushed it onto the coffee table. Edge kept very still as Sans brought his legs up onto the couch and leaned into him. Sans did not look up at him but the weight was heavy, if still a little tentative. Edge brought his hand back up to Sans' skull, running the tips of his fingers from crown to his neck and back up again. As Red picked up, Sans sighed softly, completely relaxing into his side.

Edge smiled.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"what do snowmen eat for breakfast? snowflakes!" Red ended with a snap and a finger gun in Sans' direction, causing the other to let out another peal of laughter.

Red's grin widened, satisfied. He had begun a pun-off about two blocks away from the house. He'd noticed how anxious Sans became the further they walked. Watching the shaky hands tugging at his parka and skull huddling into the fluff of his hood, Red had immediately moved to distract him. Though it had been a slow start, Sans had visibly relaxed, punning eagerly back at him.

Red knew that humans freaked Sans the fuck out. When he'd mentioned it to his brother, Edge hadn't looked surprised either. It hadn’t taken long for either of them to realize the strange aversion to humans that Sans harbored. Not strange that he had an aversion, in fact many monsters did and Red didn't blame them. Humans were dangerous and could so easily dust them with the right Intent.

No what made Sans' aversion strange was the sheer terror he held for the humans. It was the fear of veterans from the Great War. Memories of unspeakable horrors and dust in their eyes. Red thought it alike to the fear that had been in their King's eyes before he'd been overtaken by the need for vengeance and nothing else. Only, Sans was strong enough to still be capable of mercy whereas the King had gone insane.

Red had been present for one occasion where Sans had turned the corner, distracted by something, and bumped into a human. It might have been unmemorable except this human had been drinking and shouted slurred obscenities, waving around an empty bottle.

Sans had frozen in place, _terrified_ , bones rattling in an unconscious reaction to perceived threat. Red was only glad that Papyrus had quickly defused the situation because the pulse of fear he'd felt Sans' Soul release nearly had him tearing the asshole drunkard apart.

Neither of them was sure of the source of such intense fear but it was always on their mind whenever they ventured outside of their private community. The Downtown area was the only place in Ebott Village that humans and monsters mingled. It was a show of favor, of peace, and proof that co-existence was possible. Optimistically there hadn't been a violent altercation from monster or human in nearly a year now.

Red was sticking close to Sans' side regardless. Every Fell Monster was hovering over their mates in Downtown, Red had noticed on his 'casual walks' around the Village. The Tale monsters might be looking at things optimistically but they knew how easily tides could turn.

Red knew that he struck a daunting figure in human eyes what with his appearance being all jagged cracks and filed sharpness; he took pride in that.

However, the wide birth they were being given at this moment wasn't because of Red. He had no illusions. It was all Edge.

His brother was walking behind them, exuding all the quiet poise of a monster that had survived the harshest of conditions and _thrived_. Such a confidence was a hearty deterrent for monster and human alike. Seven feet of broad-shouldered powerful skeleton and the tangible feeling of the Level Of ViolencE befitting the Captain of the Fell Royal Guard.

Edge was the shadow at their heels, responding when needed but otherwise quiet and undeniably _present_.

Edge would see any threat that approached from the front and sides. Anyone cowardly enough to strike from behind would have to get through a veritable beast hiding under strict composure.

Red was fully aware of the protection that encompassed him. He wondered if Sans had any idea. That if someone were to approach them with the slightest hint of malice Sans wouldn't have time to notice before Edge had them on the ground and probably begging for Mercy.

If he did, Sans said nothing. But Red had to imagine that subconsciously Sans registered the protective intent focused on him because he was unusual calm even as they entered the bustle of Downtown.

Edge was doing his part so Red was free to do his as well; distract and entertain.

"why does Santa have three gardens? so he can ho-ho-ho!" Sans returned with a wink. Red's grin split in laughter.

"alrigh', i got one. why does-"

"As _entertaining_ as this has been…" Edge murmured, faux annoyance painting his tone, "would that happen to be our destination ahead?"

Red shared an amused glance with Sans. Their brothers may try to hide it, but they both knew that puns were a family trait. Papyrus and Edge could screech all they wanted, they could see the smiles trying to break free.

They approached a sizeable gated area filled with lush Gyftmas trees. It was pretty early in the month, so there was still a wide selection of sizes and shapes available. They walked along the gate to where Sans said would be a wide opening. So that people could back up trucks to the entrance and load up trees for big events.

Red looked around as they continued an easy-going pace. It was pretty late and Sans had been spot on when he said the crowds would likely be dispersed by this time. He couldn't see a single human and it elevated his already good mood. Humans did not live in Ebott Village so they had to travel back home, it made sense they might leave earlier too. He could see a few monsters here and there but none he felt the need to acknowledge.

They got to the gate just as three monster children darted out, each giggling to themselves. Red paused, waving Sans and his brother on. He watched with narrowed eyelights, tracking them in the dark patches of night and streetlight until they reached two pairs of couples. He could hear the scolding even over the distance between them. Their parents.

Huffing, he turned. They must have been Tale monsters. He couldn't help it, any time he saw a kid without a parent, his old instincts returned. The thought of children in Underfell brought a tight grip to his Soul. He'd been so paranoid when Edge was a babybones. He never really grew out of it.

Red came up to his mate and datemate, arching a brow, "reason yer ain't goin' in?"

Sans was looking around with a frown. "just a feeling…" He mumbled, slowly walking through the maze of trees, both Asters at his heels. Sans was turning his head every which way when he stopped briefly and then sighed with a heavy resignation, "thought so."

Sans did a quick turn around a tree and Red followed just as he heard someone shout, "Go away you hooligans! See if you get any presents when I tell your parents- oh! Sans?"

Red found himself unable to hold in the snort of laughter at the sight of Gyftrot. The deer-like monster shot him a glare, hooves clattering noisily on the pavement in anger. It looked like Gyftrot was going to say something else but Sans stepped forward, kneeling at Gyftrots' hooves.

"geeze buddy, you look a little _tied_ up at the moment? want me to _hang_ around or do you need a hand?" Sans smiled, cheekily. Red heard a muffled groan from behind him and this time did manage to hide a laugh.

"Do not tempt me." Gyftrot huffed, stomping a hoof loudly.

Red couldn't help but notice however that despite Sans spouting off blunt puns here and there while he began to untangle the Christmas lights from Gyftrots' antlers and legs, removing any decorations as he went, his tone was kind. Gyftrot merely rolled his eyes once or twice but stayed otherwise still as Sans helped free him.

The moment the last length of lights was pulled free Gyftrot took a bound, shaking his limbs and head as though shrugging off the memory entirely. Sans set the lights in a pile with the other decorations while Gyftrot took a minute to compose himself.

"Does this happen often?"

Sans glanced up at Edge with a wry smile, "too often. kids can't help themselves."

Edge's jaw tightened but he said nothing, shaking his head. Kids. If it wasn't harmful, there wasn't much that could be done. Especially if this was something that had been happening for some time and nothing had stopped it.

"I would say thank you, but my gratitude was taken up by your incessant jokes." Gyftrot trotted up to them, eyeing them curiously, "Sans, I know. Who are you?" His head swung in Sans' direction, "And where is your brother? If we are to find him a tree up to his standards I prefer to get started as soon as possible." The dry humor seemed to be enough to make Sans' laugh instead of frown.

"maybe next year. Papyrus is in Italy." Sans said with unusual casualness and even Gyftrot seemed to realize this, ears flicking back and forth once. "this is Red and Edge Aster."

"Ah, and you are helping them pick out a tree?"

Sans shook his head as Red swung an arm around his shoulder, grinning widely, "just need one, thanks."

"And I have my own set of standards." Edge murmured, already inspecting the trees around them. "When do you close?"

Gyftrot looked between them all and then shook his head, "Don't worry about it. Let's get started then."

Despite the resignation, Gyftrot was professional and patient with them, even when Edge rejected tree and after tree as he sought the perfect one. Sans seemed entertained at any rate and Red led him by the hand to follow the bickering monsters.

All in all, this was going well, Red thought proudly.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Edge closed the front door after Sans levitated the tree through the threshold. He made a mental note to vacuum as soon as they finished with decorating the tree tonight. As Sans set it down in the corner but still in view of the large window, he locked the door and let the tension bleed from his bones.

A satisfied thrum was left behind.

Their excursion had gone well.

Red had kept Sans in a sufficiently cheerful mood. Which, he noted with pleasure, seemed marginally easier today. The night had left mostly monsters on the streets of Downtown but there had been a few humans lingering about. He'd caught only two humans giving them strange looks but to be honest, Edge had a feeling it was due to them being skeleton monsters rather than any sort of hate.

He'd been prepared but fortunately no act of force was needed.

All in all, a success.

"doncha' look downright cheerful, eh Boss?"

Eyelights darting down to his brother's cheeky grin and he huffed, offering no reply.

"he seemed to enjoy it."

Had he? Edge wasn't sure if Sans' fear was enough to be called phobia.

Sans loved the little Monster Ambassador with a familial type of affection that was outshone only by Papyrus. As one of the Captains of the now multi-faceted Royal Guard, he knew that Sans was on the extremely short list of babysitters; and the shorter list of monsters that would have custody of Frisk should the worst occur. It was obvious that the two were attached.

However, Edge had seen enough _fear_ in his life to know that it was exactly what Sans felt when a human showing any sign of hostility was in the area.

The one time he had approached the subject with Papyrus, the joyful skeleton had been unable to give much insight into the matter.

"IT IS QUITE A MYSTERY INDEED. EVEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN NOT FIND THE REASON! MY BROTHER IS A PUZZLE WITH MANY SECRET PIECES."

Edge had been quick to head off any guilt but questioned when Papyrus had noticed Sans' fear for the first time. Papyrus had seemed puzzled as he thought it over but admitted that Sans' seemed to suffer from this fear the moment they breached the Surface though he admitted that it could have existed before. The only human exposure any of them had had before the Surface was Frisk and Sans didn't seem to have a problem hugging the kid each time they ran into each other.

Afterwards, Edge had simply decided that it didn't matter when it started or why. Sans feared humans. The solution? Edge would protect him from humans. Whether that meant physically, emotionally, or psychologically did not matter.

Yes, he had kept his brother and Sans safe tonight, but that didn't mean the clever little skeleton he was courting had not hidden his fear for their sake.

Sans had a bad habit of doing that and as shy as he might be had a poker face to rival Edge's own. Unlike Red, who he could read like a book and only slightly assisted by their bond, he had to decrypt Sans' behavior for feedback.

"Perhaps." He conceded. He saw Red cast him a concerned look but before his older brother could interrogate him over his cryptic answer, they were interrupted.

"hey, thanks for coming with me." Sans said, shuffling over to them. His smile was shy but genuine, "i had a lot of fun."

Red beamed, his Soul pulsating with pride and Edge was not feeling too far behind. He inclined his head but said nothing as Red muttered, "aw, no need to thanks us, sweetheart."

Sans fidgeted for a moment then said quickly, "gonna get the ornaments out, be right back." And trotted off to the corner of boxes. Edge was slightly amused by the fact Sans disappeared from sight once he slid behind a few stacked piles.

"seems it turned out alright, after all." Red murmured to himself, revealing his own worry about their venture. Red followed after Sans, much slower than their datemate.

Edge turned to the tree and breathed in, the smell of pine nostalgically comforting, and smiled to himself. He would have to make something special for Sans, for being so brave and doing so well on their outing.

A startled squeak and loud thump had him swiftly walking over. Out of sight, Red started laughing in-between asking, "yer okay there, sweetheart?"

 

 

* * *

 

 

After getting over his embarrassment of being squished by a box of ornaments and glaring at Red for not lifting a finger to help him, Sans pulled the two boxes into the open by the tree. Edge promptly took over the lighting once again and soon the tree sparkled with multi-colored lights. Red had thrown some of the tinsel at the tree and called it good, though Sans suspected he had half-been aiming for Edge some of the time.

In the other box, he began to pull out the classic glass baubles. A system soon developed and Sans gently extracted the ornaments and handed them to whichever Aster walked up to him. As he continued to open more packages with ornaments in them, Sans found himself watching Edge and Red more and more often.

They worked in perfect synchronization, Edge decorating the top of the tree and Red decorating the bottom and levitating a few ornaments to hang in the section in the corner. They snapped a few times, argued a bit more, but mostly they worked without a word to each other and coordinated beautifully.

Sans was a bit in awe of it to be honest.

As distracted as he was, he didn't notice the ornament he handed Red until, "this don' look like any of the other ones?"

Sans snapped out of his daze, "huh?" He spotted the ornament in Red's claws and couldn't help the smile that formed in response. "oh! those are one of the ornaments Paps made!"

It was a spaghetti ornament, uncooked seashell noodles cascading down to form a Christmas Tree with a small white bow to hang it by glued to the top. Sans looked down into the box and found an assortment of homemade ones all that was left at the bottom.

He rattled off which ones were his and which ones were his brothers as he took them out, setting them down on the floor as neither Aster seemed interested in grabbing one and hanging them just yet.

He had an assortment of cut out circles made from construction paper with the word ORNAMENT written in sparkle glue with a piece of string looped through a small hole at the top, all made by him of course. There were tons of spaghetti themed ones and some that Paps had made by looking up ideas on the Internet.

Sans marveled over the collection they had made like he did every year, warmth infusing his Soul. He looked up at the Asters who had crouched down to inspect the handmade ornaments as well.

"do you guys have any you want to hang up from home?"

Red picked up one of Sans' construction paper ornaments, laughing quietly under his breath as he answered, "nah, we don' have anything personal if that's what yer mean."

"oh."

It was a glaring reminder that he and the Asters had come from very different Undergrounds. It made sense that in Underfell where the motto to live by had become 'kill or be killed', they wouldn't have the time or luxury of frivolities. The earlier warmth was replaced by guilt for… he wasn't entirely sure? A sickly feeling was beginning to form in his Soul.

He looked over the handmade ornaments and wondered if it was rude to hang them at all.

A hand cupped his cheek, drawing his gaze to Red who was smiling at him with an awkward but honest kindness, "hey, don' worry, sweetheart. 's nothing yer need to make that face over."

"Indeed." Edge said, standing with one of each of Papyrus and Sans' ornaments in hand, "Now let us finish so I can start on dinner." He circled the tree, flashing an almost smile to him, "And desert."

Red scooped up a few as well and Sans conceded with a small, "okay."

They did finish quickly and Sans curled up against Red as they turned on the TV to one of the twenty-four-hour Christmas movie channels while Edge started dinner. It was delicious as ever and afterwards Sans drooled over the double-decker chocolate cake on the counter while Edge frosted it with some cream cheese frosting and topping it with red and green sprinkles.

Sans whined when Edge only allowed him a slice for the night but his datemate did not relent, putting a cover over it.

"If I wake up tomorrow and see another slice missing, you will be punished." Edge said sternly as he grabbed the dishes from the table. Sans watched Edge abruptly stiffen and turn, sockets wide. "I mean-"

Sans sighed, accidentally cutting Edge off, "kay…" He looked to the cake hidden by the cover and asked longingly, the delicious taste of chocolate sharp on his tongue, "but I can have more tomorrow, right?"

Edge didn't say anything, long enough that Sans turned to see if he was even there. The taller skeleton was looking at him with a thoughtful look. Then he smirked and carried the dishes to the sink, "Yes. Yes, Sans, you can have more tomorrow."

Edge dried his hands and strode over, leaning down to brush a gentle clink of teeth to the top of his skull.

"Thank you for tonight."

Sans flushed and fled to the living room. Only to have Red pull him into his arms and trap him there, teasingly asking why he was looking so _blue_.

"chocolate cake."

Red's teasing smile vanished and he nodded solemnly, "i know, sweetheart, i know."

 

Later, as Sans made his way up the stairs and bidding his date-mates goodnight, he glanced over at the Christmas tree glistening so brightly. The glass and homemade ornaments side by side pushed any lingering guilt away. He went back down and snapped a quick picture to send to Papyrus.

As he laid down that night, he fell asleep thinking about the empty spaces in the tree left on the tree and how they could be filled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- (*) Undyne is Undertale, Felldyne was killed and Edge is now Captain. He doesn't speak of how his promotion came about.  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	4. Dec 3 - Arts and Crafts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.
> 
> Updated on 9/8

The next morning, Sans had an idea.

He just wasn't sure if it was a good one. Or, at least, he wasn't sure that his date-mates would be interested.

Making homemade ornaments had become something of a family tradition. Considering how long he'd been date-mates with the Asters, Sans thought it was only right to share the tradition with them.

He sat on his bed for a while though, just thinking about whether or not to say anything. He was hesitating because he'd noticed that Edge and Red usually didn't care all too much about what could be considered frivolity, viewing things that had no purpose as wastes of time. Considering how they had to live, it made sense.

But, he had been told over and over again by them, Papyrus, Toriel, and Grillby and so many others that they _wanted_ him to share his interests.

Well, it wasn't an interest but Sans could at least offer it.

He was bolstered by the fact that on his way downstairs he spotted Red lounging on the couch, staring at the tree instead of the TV. Red glanced over at him with that sixth sense the brothers seemed to have and winked, disappearing the next moment.

Edge's sharp reprimand in the kitchen told Sans exactly where he had gone and he chuckled, making his way towards the good-hearted arguing.

Ever since that morning two days ago, neither would eat until he was roused and sitting with them. Edge seemed to be in an extremely good mood and often let Sans, and Red he supposed, sleep in until eight in the morning. Sans was not about to question his good fortune.

Taking his seat with a soft "good morning." he watched Edge place the platter of waffles down on the table and sit down after slapping Red's hand away from the bowl of fruit toppings.

"You will take a portion like a civilized person." He ordered, scowling at Red's cheeky grin even as he grabbed the serving spoon.

Sans felt contented as breakfast began. He spooned himself a generous helping of the sliced banana and strawberries before applying a light sprinkle of powdered sugar and maple syrup. He was not ignorant to the pleased expression Edge worse and smiled to himself as he ate.

The Asters spoke of things that might have made him curious if it weren't about Underfell. They didn't speak of their work with Underfell residents and their integration often and he didn't want to pry. That Toriel would inform him of anything important was irrelevant.

However, right now he was distracted.

He'd come downstairs with a plan. He would eat, then when they went their separate ways for their work he would do some research for ideas, gather some of supplies in case they agreed, and then introduce the idea to them.

As it so happened, his nerves got the better of him and halfway through their waffles, Sans blurted out, "do you guys want to make your own?"

Silence fell over the kitchen.

Sans slid down in his seat, mortified by his outburst and the surprised stares he was the recipient of.

"our own…?" Red questioned after a moment, raising a brow.

"o-ornaments." Sans murmured, averting his eyes to his waffles and taking a large bite to shut himself up.

Another beat of silence and then Edge hummed, a sly look in his eyes. "Well, is that not fortunate brother." Edge said lowly and Red's face turned ruby.

Red turned wide sockets on Edge, a look of resigned dismay clear even as he spoke, "B-Boss, wait-"

"Now you do not have to ask him yourself."

Red's face burned with embarrassment and Sans stifled a laugh. Across the table Edge met his eyes with equally contained mirth.

As he had no preparation ready, he had had a _plan_ , Sans dragged his laptop to the table once it was cleared and cleaned. Red pulled his chair up right against his. Sans tried to ignore the fact Red was quite purposefully leaning into his personal space as he searched the internet for ideas that would interest his date-mates.

They'd scrolled through a few different search results and most of them were deemed to be to much work, Edge scoffed from where he was doing the dishes whenever he heard this, or they didn't have the tools necessary to make them. Finally, Red straightened from his slouch against Sans' shoulder.

"hey, what's that there?" Red suddenly asked, pointing at the screen. His sharp teeth formed a wicked grin, "aw, hell, are those minions?"

Sans clicked the link and sure enough, there were lightbulbs painted and glittered to resemble minions. He looked between them and Red twice and when Red gave a defensive, "what?" Sans cracked up.

"you… you're such…. a-a nerd!" He wheezed between laughter. Red looked at him with a cross between annoyance and embarrassment and Sans coughed, cutting his laughter short. "i-it's not a bad thing… it's _cute_." He defended, though whether it was himself or Red, Sans didn't know. Coolness rushed to his cheeks and he knew Red had noticed when the other smirked slowly.

It wasn't quite as effective with a ruby glow of his own and Sans gasped when Red slung an arm over his shoulder, nearly pulling him from his seat. "maybe so… but yer gonna have to deal with it. this _nerd's_ puttin' minions in yer goddamn Christmas tree!"

Sans started laughing, helplessly, again and this time Red joined him. It took a long time for them to stop.

 

* * *

 

When Edge finally sat down with them, Sans had begun a search for something he'd like to make this year. Since it was the first year he would be doing this with his date-mates… he thought he might put a little extra effort into his ornaments this time. It felt special.

Edge had been silently watching the ideas scroll down the screen when Sans spied something that he thought the Underfell Guardsman might enjoy making.

"hey Edge, take a look at this one." He pointed to the screen, "these are ornaments you make by melting hard candies into cookie cutter shapes, then you bake them."

Edge leaned forward to study the picture and instructions that were below it. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded, "It will do."

Sans might have been disheartened by the mild reply if he hadn't noticed the attentive look in Edge's eyes. As it was, Edge rose from his seat and pulled open a drawer that was full of utensils, including cookie cutters from every holiday.

With how often cooking was done as a brotherly bonding event, they loved the cookie cutters too much to put them away with the holiday decorations. Besides, it was always funny to see the funny faces people made when he brought over cookies decorated like Easter eggs in the middle of winter.

Sans was a little surprised for a moment to see that Edge knew his way around the kitchen so easily in just a couple of days.

Although… it _was_ Edge. So maybe he shouldn't be surprised at all.

Red huffed, amused. It was warm against his neck and Sans valiantly resisted a shudder, especially when Red turned his head to nuzzle at him.

"what're yer doing then, sweetheart?" Red mumbled against his vertebrae.

Sans hummed to himself, mostly to hide the thrilled tremor in his voice as he pointed at one of the pictures, "these. popsicle trees."

 

* * *

 

Now that they had chosen what they wanted to do, they needed to gather the supplies to make them.

Sans led Edge over to the closet and pulled out a large case of art and crafts materials. Whenever they babysat Frisk, Papyrus and the kid would pull this out at least once so Sans kept it regularly stocked. It was chockful of stuff and they pulled out a half empty bag of popsicle sticks, some stray googly eyes at the bottom of the case for the minions, rubber-banded toothpicks, construction paper, a glue-gun, invisible glue bottles, and many, many vials of paint and glitter.

With a few things unaccounted for, Edge took the individual instructions and created a list of missing materials. Sans carried the ones they did have to the table and when he turned around, Red was shrugging on his coat.

"alrigh', be back in a few." Red announced, scanning the list of missing items before he disappeared with a soft crackle of static.

Edge pulled out a large disposable red and white checkered tablecloth and draped it over the table. Afterwards, Sans placed the materials Red needed to make his minions on one side of the table and then the ones for the popsicle trees on the other side.

"Sans." Edge called and he trotted over, expectant of the two hands that scooped him up and deposited him on the counter. "These shapes hold no particular meaning to me. Choose the ones you like."

Scanning the available cookie cutters, he noted that the one shaped like a cat was missing and spotted it already off to the side. He glanced upwards and caught Edge's eye.

Edge sighed, looking almost embarrassed. "Doomfanger." He cleared his throat once, "He is currently in the care of Lady Dreemur(1)."

Sans fiddled with a few of the cookie cutters before saying with what he hoped passed for casual, "you could bring him here. if you miss him and stuff."

"I did not want to presume… Doomfanger can be a difficult creature." Edge explained, side-eyeing him.

"i don't mind cats. and Paps doesn't mind animals in the house. did i ever tell you about the time he brought home a family of squirrels for Christmas?"

At this, Edge raised a brow, looking a little bewildered.

Sans chuckled, "yep. four of them. he and Undyne accidentally knocked over the tree they were living in while they were training. so, he brought them home until he could find another 'suitable' tree."

"How long did that take?"

"oh… just a couple of weeks. wasn't too bad. brought home chestnuts once time. we got to roast them over the oven."

"Hmm… Perhaps I will call Lady Dreemur then."

Sans smiled, satisfied, and then picked out a few cookie cutters after some deliberation. He dropped the reindeer, Christmas tree, stocking, and gingerbread cutters into the waiting hand and Edge nodded. He was placed back onto the ground as Red appeared in the middle of the kitchen with a bag in hand.

"'m back." Red announced as he poured the bag's contents onto the table.

They quickly sorted the items between the three of them. Red got the three-pack of lightbulbs and thin wire, Sans got a bag of craft stems and little packets of assorted puff balls, while Edge took the bag of muti-colored hard candies and thin ribbon rolls.

With everything ready, they set to work.

 

* * *

 

An hour later the saccharine smell of sweets in the oven saturated the house. The tablecloth was covered in dripped paint and small materials that had tumbled away from their respective skeletons. Sans glued another triangle of green popsicle sticks and reached for a red craft stem to wrap around it.

While he twined it around the sticks, he looked over his collection of ornaments that he'd made. He felt ridiculously proud of them. Or maybe that was just the overwhelming feeling of warmth in his Soul from sharing this personal thing with his date-mates.

As he secured the craft stem with a few dots of hot glue, he peeked up at Red and sucked in a laugh.

Pinpricked red eyelights were focused with laser-like intensity on the slow strokes of the paintbrush across glass. The lightbulb was already coated in one layer of thick yellow paint and Red was currently applying the second layer, this one infused with a light smattering of glitter.

Two fully completed, obviously hand-made but impressive, minions were hanging by bits of curled wire on a drying rack. Edge had put the dry rack together using a metal kabob stick and two boxes of pasta after Red realized that he had nowhere to put his freshly painted lightbulbs.

The intense look of concentration on Red's face as he squinted at the minion ornament was adorable but what made Sans laugh was the flecks of yellow splattered all over his face. The most prominent was a slightly glittery handprint-like mark on his jaw the bright blue of the minions' overalls. Sans desperately wished he could have seen it happen. His jaw trembled from the urge to hint or joke about the artistry of Red's face.

But… the focus that Red had… he just couldn't. Not yet.

Definitely when they were done though.

Oh yes, _definitely_.

He was distracted from his gleeful thoughts of the future at the sound of the oven closing again. He looked over to see Edge setting another timer and mentally calculated just how many candy ornaments he'd made at this point.

He could spot one red and orange cat shaped candy ornament with a pretty white ribbon set aside with one of each of the other cookie cutter shapes. They all had the ribbon loops for when they were going to be hung on the tree. However, there were now three whole batches, including the one in the oven, with eat least four candies on each of them. Which made twelve.

Sans was pleased that Edge seemed to be enjoying himself at any rate. He caught Red glancing over at Edge as well and pointedly turned his eyelights down to his own ornaments when the paint sparkled in the light from the movement.

' _not yet~._ ' He thought to himself, smiling, as he began to glue small silver bells along the stem.

 

* * *

 

Roughly a half hour later, Sans was startled from his concentration -damn thread wouldn't loop around the tip of the tree because of the glue sticking to his phalanges- by the sound of a platter being placed on the table. The plate was full of cooled, melted candies in the shapes that Sans had earlier selected.

"Edge?" Sans asked.

"Four is sufficient to hang on the tree. However, I caught my brother staring and drooling over these enough times I decided I should make some to consume or my ornaments might be gone by morning." He explained, though Edge casted a look that lingered on him rather than Red.

Sans realized his staring must have been noticed too. Sheepishly, Sans reached for the plate and grabbed a stocking shaped candy made of green and blue. He turned it this way and that and then looked up at Edge with a sudden horrible thought, "if I eat one of these, can I still have cake tonight?"

Edge made a considering noise, before smiling indulgently.

Reassured that he would indeed be able to have another piece of heaven, Sans stuck half of it in his mouth and sucked on it. His hands still had traces of glitter on them which had no doubt gotten stuck on the sticky candy but he paid it no mind. He'd eaten worse back in the Underground when Papyrus was still working out the kinks of cooking.

The sweetness of the candy bloomed across his tongue and he hummed cheerfully and shot Edge a thumbs up. Who didn't see it because he happened to be watching Red lap at a tree shaped candy with a satisfied smile on his face.

Suddenly Edge turned to look at him and he let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a laugh before turning on his heel and beginning to clean up his, albeit organized, mess.

Confused, he looked over at Red, intending to ask him what was so funny. Red was already looking at him though, quite plainly containing laughter. As they connected gazes, Red burst into a cackle.

Bewildered, Sans glanced in the direction of the oven. It was the first reflective surface he could think of and even in its barely distinguishable reflection, Sans saw his face covered in glitter. He blushed, that glitter vial he'd spilled must have gotten around more than he thought… and… were those small puff balls next to his socket? _That_ must have happened when he had… rested his cheek on his hand… oh…

As Red continued to laugh, banging the table with a closed fist, Sans clicked his teeth against the candy in annoyance. Then he grinned, pulling it from his mouth, "dunno what you're laughing about. _obviously,_ i'm so creative i sweat glitter." Leaning on his glitter-covered hand again, he asked with a wink, "when is Red no longer Red?"

A beat of silence, Red's sockets widen as he twists in his chair to try and glimpse his reflection as well and Sans finished with relish, "when he's blue." And tapped his chin pointedly.

Red is still for a moment, then sits back in his chair, eyelights narrowed. They stare at each other for a moment and Sans is still grinning even when Red suddenly disappears with a soft snap. Sans is already starting to laugh as he pushes back in his chair when Red suddenly appears in the thin space between chair and table.

"don' gotta be an artist to paint _you_ blue." He growls huskily, leaning in closer. Sans giggles even as he blushes brighter and then Red is knocking their foreheads together and laughing too.

Beyond them, Edge leans against the counter as he dries his hands, feeling utterly content at the joyful antics of his precious ones.

 

* * *

 

Afterwards, when the kitchen is cleaned, the arts and crafts tucked back away into the closet, and Edge has demanded they clean themselves off before bed, the three pile on the couch to watch an MMTV special with a plate of many candy shapes set on a decorative Christmas platter and covered with a clear cover on the coffee table.

Sans remembers the sweetness of the candy but it had nothing on the wonderful chocolatey goodness that is Edge's double-decker chocolate cake. He ate it slowly, savoring it. He could taste more than the exquisite flavors though.

There was _Intent_ infused within the dessert that settled warmly into his bones. It felt like safety and he closed his eyes to revel in the feeling. Sans flopped against Red who grunted but otherwise gave no indication that he noticed. It might have been something to do with the fact that he was snuggly fit against Edge's side.

Sans is falling asleep, he knows, he can feel the heaviness pulling at his sockets. He glances at the tree and spots the new additions decorating the empty spaces. It feels so much better than he had imagined it would.

Closing his tired sockets, he feels Red wrap an arm around him, pulling him closer, and a much larger hand draping a blanket around the both of them and knows nothing else for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.
> 
> (1) Lady Dreemur is Underfell!Toriel. Undertale!Toriel is no longer married to Asgore so any later reference to Lady Dreemur, if there is any, will be referring to Edge and Red's Toriel who is not a Queen in this story.


	5. Dec 4 - Candy Canes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.
> 
>  
> 
> Updated 9/19

 

 

Sans yawned as he shuffled down the stairs. After they ate and the Asters left for work, Sans had decided to do some of his own. He'd spent the better part of three hours working on a case that Toriel had sent to him.

Though _case_ was probably to strong of a word for what basically amounted to being a monster to bounce ideas off of for new developments for the Village. As her personal assistant when his services as Judge were not required, she sent him ideas and questions and concerns. He was only too happy to help his best friend with her troubles.

Toriel had just sent him the plans for a community garden and though they were still in infancy, they were already a promising idea. The Surface was a great source of new foods but it hadn't taken monsters long to realize just how chock full of… unneeded additions were in them. At least for monsters. And they weren't always the healthiest either.

So, the idea of a community garden where fresh monster food could be grown like in the Underground but with the help of the sun? Sans could see the appeal. He knew his brother would love to take advantage of it!

So, he'd been working on finding the perfect spot to put it in the Village, perhaps at the base of Mt. Ebott? Or maybe instead of one big one, a bunch of smaller ones? Three hours into it he decided he deserved a well-earned snack. He had a craving for ketchup and he wasn't one to deny that particular craving.

Maybe he'd grab one of the candy shapes on his way back up, too.

He wandered into the kitchen and eyed the covered cake on the counter. He turned away from temptation with a heavy sigh, despite smiling. He felt good today. It was just a nice, lazy day. Sans' favorite kind.

His only fault with the day had been that his datemates had been called away until dinner. Lady Dreemur had called and requested that her Captain return to Underfell and Edge had not specified a reason. Sans hadn't asked either. It was expected when you were a Captain of the Royal Guard.

Red and Sans had planned to head out to Midtown and swing by Grillby's for drink or two when Red's cell rang. Chillby had called for Red to cover a few shifts at the bar and after a hushed conversation that left Red exasperated but agreeing he hung up.

"sorry sweetheart. promised 'im some of my time ages ago. he's callin' it in now." Red said wryly, giving a shrug that seemed casual but Sans could see that Red was at least a little upset about something.

So, he'd leaned up and given him a kiss on the cheek, "that's okay. we'll do something together later."

The pleased grin that spread across Red's face was bright, "i'll keep yer to that." and with a wink he disappeared.

So, he expected his datemates to return around dinner time and after doing a few things around the house such as laundry and checking for any spare dishes, might as well pitch in since he was the only one at home until then, he chose to do some work of his own.

Sans opened the fridge and reached for a bottle of ketchup. He grabbed it on habit alone but was distracted at the pristinely wrapped sandwiches stacked in the fridge. Sans took one off the top and read the sticky note stuck to it.

' _If you have chosen to not eat fast food for once, I have made a selection of sandwiches for lunch. You may drink your condiments with them if you must._ ' It said in Edge's elegant flowing script.

Sans felt his Soul pulse warmly and just as he was about to close the fridge a heavy weight fell across his back. Only the telltale smell of cinnamon and leather kept him from jumping. Instead, he turned into the nuzzle that Red gave him.

"hi Red. you're already back?"

Red made a throaty noise as he rested his weight against him, mumbling, "Chillby's meetin' was cut short. he came back in a pretty pissy mood and told me ta fuck off. yer don' argue when Chillby's pissy an' besides i took care of the afternoon rush. prick."

Sans chuckled softly and waved the sandwich in front of Red's face, "hmm… you hungry? Edge made lunch for us."

Red's previously dim eyelight sharpened and he opened his mouth. Sans bemusedly stuck the sandwich between his fangs and watched Red bite down, plastic wrap and all.

"go sit down, i'll grab you some mustard." He said, already reaching for one of the yellow bottles.

A muffled, "thanks sweetheart." came through the mouthful as Red stood and started a slow amble toward the living room. Sans gathered two plates and placed a sandwich of his own on them before making his way after his datemate. Red had slumped against the cushions bonelessly though he had taken the sandwich out of his mouth and begun unwrapping it.

They divvied up the plates and condiments and settled into eat in peaceful quiet. A few half-hearted puns managed to pepper the air but they otherwise spoke little. Red's tired sockets spoke of just how busy he'd been today and Sans took the plates when they'd finished. Full and content, they wordlessly decided to take a nap together. Red all but pulled Sans onto his chest and rumbled happily as he rolled to sandwich Sans between himself and the couch.

Sans had no complaints and drifted to sleep inhaling the comforting scent of his datemate.

 

* * *

 

The doorbell wasn't what woke him. Though he registered the sound it was Red detangling himself from their nap that roused Sans to open his sockets. He blinked blearily and found the clock on the wall. It had only been an hour but he felt so well-rested.

The sound of the door creaking made him sit up, actually realizing that someone was at the door. He shifted to peer around the couch and watched Red stand just so to block whoever was at the door from peering in.

"can i help yer?"

The words were normal, it was something Sans would say, but there was something else underneath the pleasantry if you paid enough attention.

"Oh, uh, this is still the Serif residence, isn't it?" A voice questioned unsurely.

Sans was just standing as Red answered a short, "yes."

"Uh, good. I have a few packages for a… Papyrus Serif."

Papyrus' name spurred sleep from his mind and Sans hurried to the door. He had a feeling he knew what was at the door. He stepped around Red and noticed that some sort of tension was draining from Red's shoulders even as he smiled up at the mailman. The copper-colored bird monster looked slightly relieved to see him.

"hi Cyprus."

"Sans! Hey, I got Papyrus shipment here a little early this time." Cyprus handed over a clipboard and Sans signed it with a quick scrawl. "Cool. Hey, tell your brother I said hi, yeah?"

"you bet." He promised, "merry Christmas, man."

"Merry Christmas." Cyprus looked over at Red who had walked over to the boxes, peering at the labels and picking up the smaller one on top, "It, uh, was nice to meet you. Merry Christmas."

Red glanced up and after a beat his rather blank-faced expression slipped away into a crooked grin, "right back at'cha."

Cyprus seemed a little torn but smiled and waved goodbye as he headed for his truck. Red's eyes followed the bird but any sense of tension was gone. Sans joined Red and picked up one of the bigger boxes. As he thought, it was Papyrus' annual order of gingerbread house decoration kits. Standing on his toes, he saw the smaller box in Red's hands was labeled candy canes.

"paps orders these every year." he explained as they brought the boxes in. "he makes gingerbread houses and gives them away to our friends."

A loud crunch from behind him made him smile. He turned, raising a brow. Red had opened the box and taken out a pack of candy canes. He had two of them already in his mouth and his datemate smirked at him.

"these fer anyone?"

"well… i guess so." Sans admitted, pushing the gingerbread boxes against the rest of the Christmas boxes in the corner.

"cool. want one?"

Sans chuckled fondly and hopped on the couch next to Red. He reached for a candy cane and had to half crawl into Red's lap to grab one. At Red's snort of laughter, he smushed his hand into Red's face as he leaned back. It didn't stop Red's laughter but Sans didn't mind, smiling too.

He unwrapped the candy cane and curled his finger around the hooked side, sucking on the other end. The sweet, minty taste was refreshing and Sans nearly purred in satisfaction around the candy. It wasn't like he did on purpose but Sans rarely had anything peppermint flavored until Christmas. It was like an itch being scratched.

He glanced at the tree speculatively and studied its branches. Was there still enough room after Red and Edge's ornaments?

Sans pulled the candy cane free slowly, thinking deeply as he sought out all the empty spaces he could see on the tree, and licked around it once before sliding it back into his mouth again.

" _fuck_."

The stilted, strained curse drew Sans' attention and he looked over curiously, sucking on the candy cane with a questioning hum. Red's face was flush with ruby light and he was staring upwards with a look that screamed ' _stars-help-me_ '.

"Red? you okay?"

The other skeleton's eyelights darted down, then to the candy between his teeth. His eyelight turned brighter, narrowing in focus as he swiped his ecto-tongue across his fangs.

Sans glanced down as well and rolled his eyes. "no. this one is mine. you have a whole pack." He angled his body away in case Red made a grab for it. He missed the way Red slapped a hand across his face, trembling from sheer restraint and mumbling inaudibly, " _Stars, give me strength, this is **fuckin'** ridiculous, how can he be such a tease an' be so fuckin' oblivious!"_

On the other side of the couch, completely unaware of his datemate's breakdown, Sans slurped at his candy cane.

 

* * *

 

A, in Red's opinion if asked, very long ten minutes later, Sans licked his fingers clean of peppermint residue and slid off the couch. He looked inside the box and counted five packs of candy canes, six counting the one in Red's hand.

"another one?" Red asked, voice pitched lower than usual.

Sans shook his head, "not to eat. Paps and i usually eat one or two. the rest are put on the Christmas tree."

The sigh of relief that Red let out was so loud that Sans couldn't help but shoot him a confused glance. Red waved him off, crunching the candy loudly. Shrugging, he continued to the tree and took out two packages. He began to hang the candy canes wherever they could fit, levitating the rest when he could no longer reach.

"yer use candy fer decorations? seems like a bit of a waste."

Sans chuckled, "only a couple packs. and only for a while. you can grab some whenever you want. whatever's left over on Christmas morning, we eat while we open presents."

"huh…" Two packs shot out of the box and into Red's waiting hand, "well, i got one an' these two will be fer yer and Boss." Sans raised a brow when Red paused, wondering if there was something on his face for how hard his datemate was staring at him. Another pack was summoned from the box and Red plucked it from the air, speaking with that low pitch again, "an' this one is yers too."

"two? for me?"

Red's eyelight pulsed like a star, powerful and _hungry_. "abso-fucking-lutely, sweetheart."

Sans was now certain he had missed _something_. The intensity of Red's gaze being pinned on him though, brought a blush onto his face and a tingle to his bones. It wasn't a feeling he'd ever really felt before… and despite the _strangeness_ … he _liked_ it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	6. Dec 5 - Christmas Kitten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own The Grinch Stole Christmas!  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

Red peeked out of the guest room with shifty eyes. When he saw no hide or hair of the white-furred demon, he stepped out of the room and quickly shut the door behind him. Rubbing a hand over his face, he cursed the fact Doomfanger had been brought back home with Edge the night before. As much as the fluffball was considered family, he had an ignore/like relationship with that feline that often leaned more to the ignore than the like.

But it made his brother smile, even back in that hellhole. So, the furball was something he was resigned to living with for the rest of his life.

Scowl in full force, he started toward the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of mustard and one of the sandwiches left over from the other day. The sight of Sans slumped against the arm of the couch made him backtrack and grab another sandwich. He set them down on the coffee table and turned around to give Sans a shake.

Two slitted amber eyes looked back at him intently.

"Doomfanger." Red hissed, "get offa him!"

Doomfanger's ear twitched once and then the feline got to her paws. She blinked and then made a quick turn in place before laying right back down, this time settling into a tight curl. On Sans' chest.

Red growled and was not amused by the returning growl from the feline, her head lifting to glare at him. Her body language was clear.

She'd move when she was ready and not before.

He'd be tempted to move her if he didn't have the faint scars from trying to move Doomfanger from her chosen perches before. Thanks to Edge's careful tending and training, Doomfanger had survived and thrived in Underfell. She was much larger than your ordinary housecat and a fierce creature when roused. And Sans would likely get the first scratch as an unwilling victim in all this.

"mm… she's okay Red." a soft mumble broke their intense glaring. Gentled white eyelights smiled down on Doomfanger who turned to regard the skeleton silently. Red watched anxiously as Sans lifted a hand to pet her. Sans had pet her before, with Edge watching the introductions but that shaky leash was no longer present.

Diminutive fingers brushed knuckles down her head, neck, and back, softly and slowly. Doomfanger was very still until Sans murmured, apparently falling back to sleep, "such a pretty girl you are…"

Now… Doomfanger was a lot of things. And yes, she could be considered a remarkable specimen with her beautiful coloring, but Red wasn't sure 'pretty' was the right word. Her muzzle had two long slices across it, pink and healed but still very visible, one of her ears shredded at the tip from when one of the Dogs had gotten a hold of her, and her body was littered with tiny marks that interrupted the otherwise flawless white.

Doomfanger watched Sans fall back to sleep, hand resting limply on her back. She glanced at Red and then crawled forward slightly to sniff at Sans' face. Red tensed as she raised a paw but watched with a dropped jaw as she _playfully_ batted at his chin.

Sans chuckled and his hand began to pet along her back again, "sorry princess…"

Doomfanger made a soft meowing noise and then stood, slipping between Sans and the couch. Sockets still closed, Sans yawned and turned onto his side, facing her, hand scratching under her chin a little bit. Red watched as they both settled, Sans back to his nap, and Doomfanger watching Red with lidded eyes.

Dislodging her would be a nightmare and she knew it. Red huffed, grabbing his sandwich and grumped himself onto the other side of the couch. That damn cat might have won right now… but Red would get _his_ way later.

 

* * *

 

"woah, woah. go back. the fuck is that green thing?"

Sans paused from where he had been scrolling through the Hulu Christmas movie collection and went back one title.

"oh. that's The Grinch Stole Christmas."

Red turned his head and asked with an exaggerated slowness, "the fuck is a _Grinch_?"

Sans sighed, unable to help fondly flicking the side of Red's skull. Which happened to be laying on his lap. After he'd been woken up from his nap by Edge returning home, Doomfanger had leapt out of his arms to greet her master. Sans felt a little special to see the gentle way that Edge treated the battered feline. And her complete trust in the hands of Edge was touching.

Still, from that moment afterwards, Red had hovered. Every time he sat down, Red was there too. Usually doing this, taking over his lap. And now Red had claimed his lap as his pillow after browsing movies for about ten minutes. Sans had been given no possibility of escape after Red wrapped an arm under his legs.

Now he was trapped, scrolling through movies until Red chose one. Which didn't seem to be any time soon. Almost every movie he scrolled over, Red had an opinion, pun, or line of questioning for. Not that it wasn't entertaining, of course.

Edge had had enough of Red antics within minutes and disappeared into the guest room to set up Doomfanger's things. Sans didn't know if one could lecture a cat to behave successfully but he wished Edge good luck. He was a little concerned about Doomfanger being outside in the cold when Edge had let her out, but Edge assured Sans that she was a cat who could take care of herself.  She was smart enough to find shelter if she doesn't come home during the night.

Besides, she was also a cat who took her freedom very seriously.

Sans decided privately that he would check outside before he went to bed every night just in case.

"well… the Grinch is a green Who who doesn't like Christmas."

"a green who who." It was said bluntly and Sans huffed, trying to find the words.

"a Who is what the people in the movie are called. and they're obsessed with Christmas all year long. and the Grinch doesn't like Christmas. so the Grinch is like an exile who lives up in a mountain that's beside the town of the Whos."

"… does he fight the… Whos?"

Sans shook his head grinning, "no. the whole movie is basically about a little Who girl who gets the Grinch to like Christmas. this version is weirder than the animated one though. in this one he has a girlfriend… or a fiancé? i'm not sure it was kind of confusing, which he steals away from the Mayor of the Whos, who keeps trying to sabotage the Grinch from being a Cheermeister, which is like a Christmassy position of honor for the holiday."

Red blinked up at him, jaw hanging open slightly.

Sans snorted in amusement. "okaaay. not that one."

"nah, wait. let's watch tha one."

Sans raised his brows at the shit-eating smirk on Red's face, " _really_?"

"oh yeah. it sounds _stupid and like it'll make no damn sense_." Red's smirk widened to wicked proportions, "Boss'll fuckin' hate it."

"don't blame me when he kicks you out of bed tonight…" Sans sighed but hit play.

He had the original The Grinch Stole Christmas upstairs in Papyrus' room. After they watched this one, he'd go get it. It had far less plot holes. And hopefully Edge wouldn’t be too annoyed at the onslaught of whatever Red had cooking in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	7. Dec 6 - Fireplace/Stockings Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

**i'm very sorry for being behind in my updates. it was finals week for me and I was much busier than I thought I would be. however, I have the entire month outlined so have no worries. i will be finishing out the month.**

**so sorry and thank you for reading~!**

 

* * *

 

When Red woke up he realized very quickly that half of him was warm and the other half was freezing. Cracking his sockets open, he blinked into the darkness of the guest room Sans' had given them. He sat up with a SOUL deep groan before casting a full study of the room. Everything seemed as it had been before they'd gone to sleep. Edge had not opened a window to punish him for the pun-fest that had been The Grinch Stole Christmas and as far as he could tell, the AC was not on.

In fact… he couldn't hear the hum of the heater either. Red furrowed his brow. It had to be below freezing by now, shouldn't it have kicked in long before it got cold enough to wake him up? Not that freezing temperatures were all that unusual for him. Back in Underfell, their wreck of house -but Stars damnit, it was _their_ house- had been infused with the cold of Snowdin's perpetual winter.

' _gone fuckin' soft…_ ' Red growled to himself as he felt his bones rattle faintly. The Surface had spoiled him.

Another rattle and he cursed. The hell was with this cold? And why the hell did he still feel like his entire right side was warm, though he could already feel it lessening. Finding nothing out of place in the room, he inspected the side of the bed where Edge slept, closest to the door, and found it empty. He should have noticed that first, Red groused to himself as he started to push himself to the edge of the bed. The sheets where Edge lay was already cold, but considering what he had felt waking up, his brother couldn't have gotten up more than a few minutes ago.

Maybe he was checking the heater. Teetering on the edge of the bed, Red debated whether or not he should even bother going to look for himself.

On one hand, the wonderfully fluffy bed was practically singing for him to crawl back into it and just go back to sleep. He'd endured worse temperatures before.

On the other hand, if he was feeling this cold, then Sans was feeling it too and that was unacceptable. Naturally cool-boned or not, this was too much. He'd just have to check the heater and either find out if he could fix it or grab his little date-mate and convince him it would be warmer to sleep with Edge and himself tonight.

A rumble of pleasure erupted from his ribcage at the thought.

He and Edge had come together naturally in their kill or be killed Underground and while both were highly dominant personalities, he'd been on the receiving end of what one might call alpha behavior more often than his brother. Low HoPe and marginally lower hope meant Edge had often been the one to take care of him. It had been a mess of a relationship that only stabilized a few months before the Barriers had been broken.

So, finding Sans and deciding to ' _court_ ' him had been a new and interesting experience. Made all the more enjoyable by discovering how shy the comical skeleton had become once their interest had been announced. Making their littlest glow blue by blush or by Soul had become an addiction so strong that it was a motivator behind many of his romantic gestures.

It soothed some primal side of him to take care of Sans, to see him safe and happy. He understood now the smugness and pride that Edge would display whenever he did anything that made Red feel those same emotions.

Now eager to investigate the problem, Red hopped off the bed and froze as the door opened to reveal Edge.

' _heh, one step ahead of me…_ '

In his arms was their littlest wrapped in a large green nightshirt that said in his font-style 'Santa I can explain…' and green, white, and red striped pants. His face was that alluring shade of blue again although he seemed sleepy enough to have simply tucked his head against Edge's collarbone and be carried to the bed.

Red exchanged a look with his brother as Sans was set down on the bed, their bed, a look that echoed their deeper satisfaction at the sight. He glanced toward the still open door and was stepping toward it when he heard Edge speak, much softer than usual.

"Sans informed me the heater cannot be fixed."

Red was about to insist that he could take a look anyway when Sans murmured softly, "'s been turning off and on for a while. i, uh, don't have enough money to fix it yet. i-i didn't even think about it… sorry."

Well, shit, if it was an ongoing problem that Sans was already aware of… they'd just have to wait until morning to check it out and if needed, Red would have to look into having a new one installed. Between them, he and Edge had more than enough funds to gift their date-mate with the assurance of being warm at night.

He couldn't do anything about it now but he narrowed his eyelights at the upset in Sans' voice and quickly joined him on the bed. Sans made to scoot over to the far side of the bed but Red took the spot faster. As he settled Sans down in the middle of the bed, he eyed the window distrustfully. Perhaps he hadn't gone as soft as he'd thought. Either way, he'd have the window and Edge would have the door.

His brother closed the door and sat down on the edge of it.

"Sans." His brother said, drawing his fingers over their littlest's skull, "Go to sleep."

"but-" Sans was cut off by his own yawn and Red shamelessly eyed his rarely revealed small incisors.

"We will not be leaving from a little chill." Edge said firmly, as though he'd said it already and was displeased it was being debated again.

Red snapped his eyelights to his brother and then at Sans, "aw, sweetheart, yer don' think we'd just take off and leave yer here alone…"

Fuzzy eyelights that darted down to the sheets told Red his answer. He sighed between his fangs and laid down, drawing Sans with him.

"can' get rid of us that easy." He growled, tucking Sans' pliant body against his own. A softer rumble came from his ribcage again as Sans nestled into him, obviously seeking warmth from how cold his bones felt against his. Picturing Sans curled up on his bed, shivering and miserable, was firmly pushed aside. "yer just gonna have to sleep here with us until it gets fixed."

He half-expected an argument. For as shy as Sans could be, he was quite stubborn. He was a little surprised when Sans simply nodded against his vertebrae, making a soft sleepy noise of consent. Maybe it was a little unfair considering he'd offered when Sans was basically asleep but he'd take his wins when he could get them.

Red chuckled, looking up at Edge. His brother was watching them with that look of subtle pride, satisfaction obvious in the pulses of his SOUL. He extended a hand, "c'mere bro. can' let him freeze, can we?"

Edge's expression shifted into amusement for a moment before he too slid between the sheets. His strong arms curled around them both, securing them to his chest and Red could already feel that lost warmth returning to him.

Sockets dipping as Edge ran his fingers down the sides of their skulls alternatively, he nuzzled Sans feeling completely at ease.

Edge would likely not be returning to sleep if he even had been asleep before. His brother didn't sleep much in the first place and being in a house not their own with their being-courted date-mate in the same house meant he had probably been meditating if not completely awake the entire time.

And Red never felt safer than when he was wrapped up with his little brother. Smiling peacefully, holding their date-mate between them, Red fell asleep smothered in warmth.

* * *

 

Red hung up, fist trembling. Slamming it down on the bed, he snarled, "an' fuck yer too!"

Red was starting to understand why Sans has taken as long as he had to fix his heater. Replacing one was expensive enough, especially if you were installing a different model, but Sans' heater only needed a minor repair. Unfortunately, it needed a professional repairman to get to it. And he'd been trying all day! Every repair number he tried there was a human on the other end with a voice smugly informing him of a price Red knew was complete bullshit.

Sensing his brother approaching, he turned and didn't bother to hide his rage. Edge took one look at him and understood, brow furrowing slightly.

"I am somehow unsurprised."

"Sans can' afford this shit, Boss." Red growled.

It hadn't escaped their notice. Even for a three-bedroom apartment and immaculate kitchen, the rest of the residence was manageably cheaper. Papyrus' space was where the money had been poured and then steadily trickled out to the rest of the apartment. Red had only glimpsed the inside of Sans' room. It was his date-mate's space, private, and if the brother's respected anything it was privacy. So long as it did not result in their date-mate's harm such as the night before.

However, Edge had given him a displeased summary, "He does not take care of himself as much as he should."

Red could read between the lines.

"Considering his fear," Edge crossed his arms, "I would hesitate to allow a human inside of his home to begin with. I have called on Queen Toriel."

"the _Queen_ , Boss?"

"Sans is her trusted Advisor. I have spoken with her before and she insisted I inform her of anything he need that he will not ask for." Red watched an exasperated, if fond look cross his brother's face. "She knows him well. Unfortunately, the monster she has hired will not be in the area for another few days."

"shit." Red cursed to himself. He was already bundled up in his jacket and Sans had taken to wearing his parka and sweatpants around the house since they woke this morning. His internal fuming was interrupted by a hand landing on his head.

"Stop. I have an idea. It might take me a day to procure but it will help until we can get the new installment."

Red cocked a brow curiously and Edge smirked down at him silently before nudging him out of the room.

"Do not worry about it. Go entertain Sans, he has been working long enough. You may both have a break."

Red hesitated for half a second before nodding and going to do just what he'd been instructed. If his brother said he had it handled, then it would be. And it would probably help if he explained the situation to the homeowner so he'd stop looking so guilty.

So, he headed out into the living room where Sans was hunched over his laptop, squinting at the screen. Oh yeah, Red realized, it was time for a break. Maybe he'd take over Sans' lap again and force him to watch some shitty 1-Star sci-fi films on Netflix.

He was so diabolical it hurt, he cackled to himself as he approached the unsuspecting skeleton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	8. Dec 7 - Fireplace/Stockings Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own the product featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

 

Was it bad that Red hoped that the heater wasn't fixed anytime soon?

Waking up with Sans in his arms was so _nice_. Edge was already gone from the bed but the sheets had been securely tucked around them and their combined warmth was enough to ward off the chill of the rest of the house. Plus, he had the added of bonus of being able to sleep in.

Sans might have thought Red had been doing so all along but the truth of the matter was that Red had been… trained… to wake up early for years. A lingering habit, though he could easily go back to sleep, he almost always woke up around 7am each morning. Sometimes Edge would allow him to sleep longer though it was rare and with his job, he was required to get up early anyway.

So, being able to doze freely and cuddle his littlest to him so he'd stay warm? Red huffed a contented sigh and closed his sockets. The best time ever.

 

Today, they were bundled up again and Sans had pulled down another box from the Corner of Boxes and shifting through it. Small little figurines were placed in what must have been traditional places as Sans barely glanced around before putting them in their places. Red was half-heartedly pawing through the box as well but mostly he was watching Sans. Checking for any sign that the cold was getting to him. They had been keeping everything closed up tight since the night before and Edge had decided on an oven-heavy cooking schedule that helped to combat the chill.

Still, first time Sans shivered, he was bundling him up on the couch in the throw blanket that Sans' had grabbed from his brother's room.

"oh, I was wondering where these were."

Red refocused and looked down into the box where a bunch of large red socks were. He blinked and then realized they were stockings. Sans pulled out a stocking that was a vibrant red with fluffy white trim with the name 'PAPYRUS' in glittering gold looping letters and a green bow tied just between the fluff and soft velvet material. Sans' smile was fond and he held it in his hands for a long few seconds.

Red reached down the smaller stocking. Comparatively, Sans' was half the size with quilt-styled stitching, red and green squares alternating down the stocking. In bold black, it said 'Dear Santa, I've Been…' and below it two boxes with Nice and Naughty next to them. The Velcro checkmark was in the Naughty box. Snorting a laugh, he looked around and asked, "so, where yer want 'em, sweetheart?"

"well, you're supposed to put them over the fireplace but we didn't have one in the Underground, or up here, so we just do this." Sans explained hopping up onto the couch and draping Papyrus' over the couch. Red floated Sans' stocking to him, thoughtfully and suddenly sensed his brother standing behind him.

Turning, he opened his mouth to ask if he should go get theirs but shut it at Edge's slow-curling smile as he watched Sans.

"Sans, welp, I must go out for a while, please find yourselves something to eat in the meantime." Edge said, and Red realized that he was already decked out to go out.

He raised a brow and Edge looked down at him with a _Look_. Red's sockets widened and nodded quickly, implying he understood. Edge was 'handling it' today. And he wanted it to be a surprise? So… yeah. Okay, he could work with this. And his brother couldn't complain either.

Sans had been looking at Edge curiously when Red turned back around, "hey, sweetheart, wanna go to Grillby's?" grinning widely.

He could feel irritation spike behind him but as Sans' eyelights glowed and he cheerfully agreed, he heard no protest.

"alrigh', we'll swing by our house afterwards an' we can pick up our stockings too." Red grabbed Sans' hand as the smaller skeleton waved to Edge, "bye Edge. be careful."

Edge looked surprised, then bowed his head slightly with a small smile. Red pictured Grillby's in his mind and stepped through the Void.

 

Red wasn't entirely sure how long he needed to keep Sans from home but as the lunch rush came and went, Sans chatted with Grillby as though he couldn't tell the time was passing. Glancing at the clock he found it had been more than two hours since they'd left. It wouldn't take long to dig out their boxes of Christmas decorations. It was literally two boxes.

Still, as he nursed his second bottle of mustard, he figured another hour and they'd head out. Chilling in Grillby's toasty pub was amazing after the last twenty-four hours.

"Red, I'll be right back." Sans exclaimed, hopping off his stool and walking over to the table where the Guard Dogs were always occupying. He was greeted enthusiastically by the entire table and Dogressa bent down, ears drooping slightly despite the kind smile on her face. Sans looked a little saddened by whatever she said but he too was smiling and even gestured over at Red.

Red perked up, alert, but Dogressa only met his eyes for a moment before looking moderately happier, her tail wagging. In fact, they all looked pleased and waved as Sans returned to the bar, climbing back into his seat.

Sans met his eyes and ducked his head sheepishly, "they, uh, wanted to ask if I was okay since they heard that Papyrus was gonna be gone all month." He suckled at his ketchup bottle and picked at the fry basket Grillby had kept refilling for them.

Red had been a little apprehensive the first time Grillby had supplied endless refills of appetizers and somewhat endless supplies of condiments to the table when all three of them had gone to Grillby's for a date. His experience with flame monsters and their establishments told him that there would always be equal exchange. Even if Chillby had allowed him a day or two to pay him back, he always expected it to be paid.

When they'd finished, Sans had drawled, "put it on my tab, Grillbz?" Red had been ready to throw his wallet at the elemental but Grillby had simply nodded with the barest flicker of a smile on his face and moved on to help another customer.

It seemed Sans could eat whatever he pleased and Grillby would simply write it off. It made him curious as to why. He'd entertained the jealous idea that perhaps Grillby had held a flame for Sans, but he never sensed any intention of the sort from the elemental. If anything, it seemed parental.

Red glanced over at the dogs and chuckled to himself. Everyone seemed eager to help the skeleton who refused to ask for it.

 

"an' this is home sweet home." Red proclaimed, opening the front door with a flourish. Sans shuffled into the house, looking around curiously. Kicking the door closed, and locking it out of habit, he took a paranoid glance around. Mentally ticking off things that were perfectly in place, he relaxed and made his way to the closet. He'd been coming back home every day, just to check. Get out of view of their date-mate, pop in, survey, and pop back to Sans' house. Just to make sure no one had the gall to break in.

Habits.

Red dug through the closet, shifting things to the side and growling when something he'd shifted knocked something else loose and it hit his shoulder on its way down.

"um, heh, need a, hehe, _hand_ there?"

"nah." He grunted, he could see them, he just had to get them, "just gimme a second here."

Sans' laughter finally registered and Red turned his head to see an artificial skeleton hand, obviously plastic and cheap as all hell, dangling in his own hands. It was his costume from this year. He'd been a skeleton for Halloween. It had also been the object that had fallen on him. He snorted and then burst out laughing, Sans' joining him.

Stepping back, he pressed a quick kiss to Sans' teeth, barely giving him a chance to realize what he'd done before raising a hand toward the closet and chuckling as he spoke, "let's do this the fast way, yeah?"

"u-um, yeah, okay." Sans mumbled beside him and Red smirked.

He levitated, shifted, and dropped boxes until finally he had the two he needed floating out of the closet. Sans tossed the fake hand back into the closet and grabbed a box. Not needing a guide for the trip back to his own house, they both held their boxes close and teleported home.

 

He had no idea what to expect when they actually appeared out of thin air in the living room.

Sans obviously hadn't noticed, carrying the large box to the Corner of Boxes and still a little blue. However because Red had been looking for it, he spotted it immediately and his jaw dropped.

' _holy shit, Boss… yer didn' hold back._ ' He dropped the box where he stood and walked closer to inspect it.

"Red? what are you… _what_?"

Red's eyelights darted over at Sans' exclamation. It was a little jarring from how quiet their littlest tended to be. Beyond him, he spotted Edge who must have heard them arrive. He hovered in the threshold of the kitchen, from all appearances as stoic as ever, but Red could see the tense line of nervousness in his shoulders.

Red glanced back at the immaculate set up that had been installed. It was a beautiful rich dark brown wood media center, currently empty save for the TV sitting atop it. And smack dab in the middle of it, set in a stone border, was a fireplace. Red thought it was an electric one, but as he glanced between it and Sans anxiously, he realized the heat was far too real. It was perfect.

But that didn't mean Sans would like it and both Fell brothers waited tensely.

Sans approached it, extending a hand toward the flame as his eyelights roved all over it. "this… this is…"

Fortunately, Red couldn't hear any anger or distress, but he watched carefully all the same. Edge seemed to take Sans' lack of words as permission to speak instead.

"It is a gift. The Queen insisted on lending aid and supplied the flame to ensure it would be safe to burn unsupervised." He spoke stiffly, unused to the situation he found himself in. Sans' peculiar habit of neglecting his own wants made giving him anything for free an odd struggle.

Sans seemed a little overwhelmed but he froze as he looked upward. Above the TV, on the wall, hung both Sans and Papyrus' stockings.

"you… hung Papyrus' stocking?" He whispered.

"He may be returning after Christmas but that is no reason he will not receive his gifts under the tree or in his stocking."

He was silent for a few moments, looking up at the stockings and back down to the fire place warming the entire room. Sans sniffed, nearly making Red panic but Sans turned to Edge, twisting his hands close to his chest with a big watery smile. "t-thank you, Edge."

All at once, their tension eased and Edge strode forward, kneeling down to cup Sans' cheek. Meeting their eyelights carefully, Edge answered, "Of course." Sans blushed, leaning up and placing a small kiss to Edge's sharp fangs. A pleased rumble sounded from Edge who scooped Sans' up and slowly walked back toward the kitchen, murmuring an inquiry about what they had done while they were out.

Red watched them feeling warm from more than the fireplace. Yawning, he grabbed the throw blanket and tossed it down, pillowing his head with his arms and closing his sockets for a good nap. He'd done some serious heavy lifting! He deserved it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	9. Dec 8 - Mistletoe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own the artwork featured in this chapter!  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

 

Red appeared silently in the kitchen. His eyelights were glowing, wisps of red escaping his sockets from his sheer excitement. If either of his date-mate's had seen the mischievous look on his face, they would have immediately vacated the residence. As it was, Edge and Sans were sleeping peacefully on the mattress they'd dragged into the living room in front of the new fireplace.

While digging for his brother's and his own stockings, he'd found something that he'd yet to see in any of Sans' boxes.

And he'd be damned if he didn't have it somewhere in the house this month.

Tossing the object in the air, he flicked a finger and lifted it up… and up… and… there. His fangs widened in unholy glee.

 

 

He didn't see the single eyelight, just as red as his own, watching him steadily.

 

 

Red was sitting on the couch, fiddling with a cheesy free-to-play app on his phone, when Edge finally sat up. Sans made a sound but curled up, hugging his pillow to his chest. Red tried to hide his excitement, sweat beading down his skull just a bit from the prospect of catching his little brother off-guard. This would be perfect! He'd sneak his prize in and take a quick nap before Sans woke up too.

Except, he watched Edge adjust the blankets, stand, and after a moment's deliberation, he announced just quiet enough to not disturb Sans, "I think I will do my training regimen today." Red found himself fixed in place by his brother's stare, "Are you able to cook something decent for Sans this morning? Or shall I give that task to him so there is a house to return too?"

Red gaped at Edge, stuttering, "w-what, today? _now_?"

Edge's gaze narrowed, "Is there a problem, welp?"

"no!" Red answered out of habit before backtracking. His plan was falling to pieces and it was barely 5:35! "I... I mean, can't yer help me, uh, prepare somethin' before yer go?"

"…Very well, then. Come."

Edge started off toward the kitchen and Red hurriedly jumped off the couch, practically trailing on his heels. He could feel a giddy sort of feeling welling up in his Soul. This was it. Edge was a stickler for the little traditions they'd kept and he would have no choice but to submit!

Red blinked when the space between himself and his brother widened substantially. Then a clawed hand was grabbing a fistful of his shirt and dragging him forward. Edge was already leaning down, a sinful smolder in his sockets.

"Naughty, naughty." Edge hissed.

Red opened his mouth to argue, to protest, to do something other than moan when he was jerked forward the rest of the way and all but consumed by his little brother's prowess. A familiar, long tongue snaked between his fangs and stroked against his mandible and then twined around his own tongue in a way that made Red's body shudder.

Then it was over and Red was left, mouth slightly agape, and dazedly wondering how the hell the tables turned so fast. He was barely able to comprehend the words out of Edge's mouth before he was hauled up and against the doorframe and being kissed roughly, just the way he liked it. "Perhaps the regimen can wait another day. This should be quite enjoyable." 

 

* * *

 

It was just another morning except Sans had to admit that the soft crackling of the fireplace was soothing against his insomniac habits. He hadn't wanted to get up but the enticing smell of something lingering in the air had made his magic hungry. So, he sat up and yawned, "morning Red."

Red smiled, but said nothing. Sans eyed him sleepily, something niggling at the back of his skull as he studied the slightly disheveled appearance of his date-mate. Had he just gotten up as well? Mentally shrugging to himself, physically took too much energy of course, and crawled off the mattress, taking the throw blanket with him. It dragged on the ground behind him as he pulled it around his shoulders and made his way to the kitchen, sockets lidded.

He could hear Red behind him, silent still and he was so preoccupied with such a strange occurrence as he tilted his head back, that he bumped into something in front of him. Stumbling backwards a step, he craned his neck backwards to find he had bumped into Edge.

"o-oh, sorry, Edge. I- _woah_!"

Bemused and in the air, he watched Edge watch him with something akin to anticipation. Drawing obvious attention to one of his hands, he raised it up and caressed something hanging just on the other side of the top of the door frame. Claws teased the bottom of a sprig of green tied with a red bow and Sans immediately recognized the infamous plant.

' _oh dear._ '

He looked down and wondered why Edge hadn't simply followed the tradition. Then smiled shyly as he realized the answer. He nodded once and Edge smirked, leaning forward and capturing him in a passionate kiss. Sans was briefly overwhelmed, shivering at the swipe of tongue at his teeth. He opened them in invitation and made a sound at the foreign sensation of something that wasn't his own tongue touching the inside of his mouth. That strange rumbling purr came from the chest he was held against and Sans nearly melted as the attention.

When Edge pulled away, Sans opened his sockets slowly. When had he closed them? The utter look of satisfaction on his date-mate's face made his already flushed face deepen in color. He was set down gently and Sans barely swayed before bumping into something behind him.

Someone.

He turned his head, trembling and found Red's wicked grin waiting.

" _sweetheart._ "

It was a growl, deep and ringing with possessiveness. And a request for permission.

' _oh golly._ '

He nodded and Red swept him closer. It felt _aggressive_ … but Sans could feel the carefulness as Red nipped at his mandible a few times before closing in on his mouth. Like his brother, Sans parted his teeth and accepted him. His hands spasmed around the blanket as Red explored his mouth with uninhibited curiosity. He barely registered Red drawing his tongue out slightly, just enough to nip it as well. It was just a pinch but it made Sans mewl softly, startled.

Red pulled back abruptly, breathing hard and Sans hoped his face wasn't as bright as Red's was. He doubted it. It was probably brighter. Red's tongue licked across his teeth and suddenly Sans remembered the candy canes. He covered his face and tried to contain his embarrassment.

Above him, Red looked up at Edge who had watched the entire time.

"this was the best idea ever."

"Indeed."

Sans' internal screaming intensified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	10. Dec 9 - Gingerbread

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

 

Wary eyelights darted back and forth, their owner almost tip-toeing out of his room. He had been ambushed by kisses all day the day before. Sans had thought he'd been safe once he left the kitchen that morning. Instead, Red had moved the mistletoe all over the house. He stepped outside of his bedroom, kiss. He walked into the Fell's make-shift room, kiss. He stepped outside to grab the mail, kiss.

He had begun teleporting around the house to out-maneuver his devious date-mate. Sans had thought he'd won when he had his laptop, a nice warm blanket, and a small plate of snacks with a ketchup bottle to occupy him for a couple of hours and taken over the couch. Then Red had teleported beside him, grinning. Just grinning. Sans looked up and of course there was the sprig of mistletoe taped right above the couch.

Sans had begged Edge to 'convince' Red not to hang it over the mattress they were still using on the living room floor. He wasn't sure how he'd managed it but when Sans finished getting dressed in his pajamas and gone back downstairs, Red scowling and hiding under the covers. He would have asked but Red had also been glowing too so he'd kissed Edge's cheek in thanks and said nothing. Now, however, was a new day and Sans feared that Red would take revenge of having set Edge on him.

As of yet, however, he'd seen no sign of him.

Peering over the banister, he still didn't see Red.

Instead he found himself looking down at a rather bizarre set up. A large table had been unfolded in the middle of the living room, the couch and mattress pushed to the walls to make room for it. Edge was leaning on it, palms planted on it's surface as he studied it with a fiercely studious air.

On top of the table, which was covered by a paper tablecloth, were dozens upon dozens of gingerbread houses. Or rather… gingerbread buildings… homemade ones that resembled generic constructs rather than the cheerful houses demonstrated on the empty boxes neatly folded and stacked next to the couch. The gingerbread men were all generically decorated too. Red gingerbread facing Edge and blue gingerbread facing out at the red ones.

It was a battlefield, Sans realized. Kind of.

"The welp is off working a shift at Chillby's."

Sans jumped at the sudden declaration in the otherwise silent house. Then breathed a sigh of relief when he realized what Edge had said. Quickly descending the stairs, he set his laptop on the couch and then slowly approached the table. It was tall, but standing on the chair that Edge had abandoned, he looked over the impressive set-up.

"what is this?" He asked quietly, unsure if he was interrupting.

Edge merely moved a trio of blue gingerbread men into a different position and then answered, "Working." Then he paused and offered with a slight sigh, "Kind of. This was the sort of thing I studied back in our Underground. My Captain _encouraged_ me to learn the different tactics of battle. When she was not lost in her excitement, she would utilize them."

He moved two red gingerbread men backwards and another red one on the other side of the field forward, "There is almost little use for it up here. However, I do not intend to forget it. I will not be caught off guard."

Sans caught the silent 'again' and wondered if he was referring to the large jagged crack above his left socket. Red had mentioned something about it once when he was drunk off alcohol-spiked mustard. That it was a mark of shame and a reminder to never be weak in Edge's eyes. Sans had decided he would never ask about it unless Edge wanted to tell him.

Sans watched him for what must have been an hour. Cushioning his chin in his arms, he watched as Edge methodically defeated himself and at the same time ensured victory. As the time strolled along, an idea began to form in his skull and he smiled to himself.

Waiting patiently for Edge to finish his latest round, Sans adjusted to resting his head on one hand.

Once the set-up had been reset, Sans began to slowly move the red gingerbread into different places. Edge didn't seem to notice at first and when he moved his own gingerbread men past a barrier he looked surprised to knock over a red one that Sans had placed there four 'turns' ago.

The taller looked over at him and Sans smiled innocently back. Edge smirked slowly and settled on the other side of the table. The Blue side and Sans sat up straight, eagerly. So, Edge began his strategies again but this time Sans set up his own offensive and more than once, managed to 'ambush' Edge's forces.

Sans wasn't sure how long they did it but by the time Edge stepped back to survey the field, Sans only had a few gingerbread men left and the sunset was glowing through his front windows.

"Well played." Edge murmured, raising warm eyelights to Sans. Sans beamed, proud of the compliment.

"thanks." He looked down at the gingerbread and another idea came to mind, "are you done?"

"I believe that is enough war for today." He chuckled. He made to remove the confections when Sans held up a hand.

"wait a second. I have an idea!"

Edge listened attentively and then smiled.

 

"Check."

"again? Geeze…"

Red guffawed through the cookie in his mouth, "Boss' the best chess player in the Undergrounds, sweetheart. he can't be beat."

Edge didn't reply other than, "Close your mouth when you eat, welp."

Red bit viciously down on the blue gingerbread man between his claws.

Sans and Edge had turned the table into a large chessboard. Sans had lifted all of the gingerbread into the air while Edge drew in the squares needed. It wasn't exactly like chess but it was almost better.

They marked their gingerbread men, front and back, with the symbol of the piece they represented and then put in a few houses and barricades. There were more pieces than usual but it made it all the more interesting.

They'd barely started when Red sauntered in.

He'd grabbed a bottle of mustard and planted himself on a chair he'd drug from the kitchen and cheered them on in turn. It had been decided by no one but Red that whenever a piece was defeated and set aside, he would eat it. He played voices with them. They begged not to be eaten, sacrificed, or struck down by the great mighty skeleton god. Whichever struck his fancy at the time. And then ate them.

Sans deliberated hard, and then moved a single piece.

"Checkmate."

Sans sighed, but he was smiling all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	11. Dec 10 - Baking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

 

"edge!"

Edge looked up from his book, a frown turning his fangs. Sans sounded upset. Not many things truly upset the small skeleton and there were none he could think of that could have affected him in the house.

He found Sans nearly running out of his room, skipping stairs in his descent. There was a frustrated frown on his face. Sans stopped only a moment to huff, "control your brother!" before beating a hasty retreat into the kitchen, laptop clenched tight to his parka. 

Edge turned narrowed eyelights upwards and found Red sheepishly leaning on the banister. Sure enough, he spotted mistletoe dangling off his brother's claws.

"I don't need to tell you, do I?" He said quietly and watched as Red shrunk slightly, guilt slightly coloring his eyelights.

"…no."

Edge studied him silently. He knew Red felt at least a little bad. Neither of them enjoyed an upset Sans, least alone if one of them were to be the reason for it. However, he also knew his brother. And he wouldn't be deterred from stealing affection from their shy date-mate for long. Hmm... how to handle this? Perhaps tackling Sans' side of this first would be best. 

Closing his book, he rose from the couch and ordered, "Write this down."

A beat, then Red's sockets widened and he popped out of view. The sounds of rustling from their guest room and then Red appeared in front of him, sweat sliding down his skull as he nervously fidgeted with a pen and paper in hand.

Edge rattled off a list of items without preamble and Red wrote them down with the messy scrawl he had never grown out of.

"Now go fetch."

"s-sure thing, Boss!" And he disappeared again.

Once he was gone, Edge turned to look at the kitchen. He could hear the rapid keystrokes in the quiet of the house. Even the sound of them sounded agitated and Edge sat back down after a moment of deliberation. He would give Sans some time to calm down on his own before he broached the subject.

 

He'd planned to finish a chapter and then determine if he had waited long enough but half way through the chapter he heard a soft shuffling. He watched out of the corner of his socket as Sans approached, his skull hanging and hands clenched nervously at his chest.

"um… Edge?"

Lowering the book, "Sans."

"d-did I make Red angry?"

Edge frowned. How in the world had Sans gotten that idea in his head? "Of course not. What makes you think you did?"

Sans peeked up, sockets looking suspiciously hazy. "i yelled at him and i-i might have overreacted. i mean, i just needed to finish some work for Tori but he... he was just trying to give me a _kiss_ and i _yelled_ at him."

Edge could almost sense the tears ready to pool in his sockets and put his book to the side so he could gesture Sans to come closer. Once he did so, Edge drew him up to sit beside him.

"Sans, you did nothing wrong. Red has a bad habit of going too far without thinking of others' personal feelings. If you did not want him to bombard you with physical affection, and that **was** what he was doing, then you had every right to inform him of that. If you yelled then it shows just how much it was upsetting you."

"b-but-"

"No. You did not like something, you told him so. And he is not angry with you. If anything, Red feels bad." Edge told him firmly. Then grinned amusedly, "You may need to tell him off in the future as well. Over the past few days, you've invited him closer to yourself. Once he believes he has permission to touch he is a glutton for physical affection, giving or receiving."

Edge caught the guilty look flash in Sans' eyelights and quickly interjected, "But never sacrifice your comfort for his wishes. Not only will it upset you, but when he finds out, and he will I assure you, Red will be angry with no one but himself for not noticing."

Sans sighed softly, idly kicking his feet against the couch. Edge waited, allowing this lesson to sink in. He knew it would be a learning experience for them all. Red needed to be more aware of the desires he acted on, Sans needed to learn to speak up when one of those desires were not to his liking, and Edge would need to monitor the pair and step in if needed so that conflict would be kept to a minimum.

"okay. i'll try."

Edge smiled, lifting his little date-mate into his arms. He felt Sans snuggle into his collarbone, arms wrapping around his neck, "That is all I ask of you."

And if Edge had learned anything from dating Sans, it was that it was best to not let Sans dwell in unpleasant thoughts. He may have agreed, but it was likely he was still stewing over it in that brilliant skull of his.

"Would you like to assist me with something?"

Sans pulled back just enough to meet his gaze and looked up at him curiously, nodding.

* * *

Red teleported back into the living room two hours after Edge had sent him away with a long list of things to buy. He was exhausted from teleporting all over town. Somehow his brother had compiled a list of generic items in a specific brand or type or color that required Red to go to nearly every bakery or foodstuffs company in order to fulfil the entire list.

He heard the sound of someone using the oven and dragged his feet to the kitchen.

"hey, Boss, I got the stuff. where yer want me to put… it…" Red trailed off as he realized Sans was in the kitchen as well. Sans too had looked over with wide sockets, but to Red's relief, their littlest didn't seem upset anymore.

He watched Sans look up from where he stood on his kitchen stool, used for when Sans was helping out at the counter, and Edge nodded decisively, "Take the cooled rack and you may begin decorating them."

Red shifted his weight from foot to foot as he watched Sans magically carry the tray to the table and take a seat at the table. He glanced at Edge anxiously. Why wasn't his brother giving him more orders?

"Red?"

Jerking at attention at Sans' call, he was stunned to see their littlest patting the chair next to him.

"come on! we can't decorate without the decorations."

Red cautiously approached the table, side-eying his brother who didn't seem to be paying any attention to him. Which was bullshit. Edge was completely aware of everything happening in the kitchen, if not the entire house, Red knew. But he was receiving no warning off so he took a seat beside Sans, careful to keep his distance. In fact, he scooted his chair a bit to the side, away from Sans'. He flinched when Sans' hand suddenly came into view, grabbing the bag. He let go of it immediately and occupied his sight with studying the table.

It had a long stretch of parchment paper on its surface, laid out in front of himself and Sans. Then there was a platter full of what looked like plain sugar cookies. It all came together and Red felt like he could have slapped himself. Everything he had bought? They were for decorating cookies. How had he not connected the dots?

Red startled as the bag was dumped upside down and dozens of decorating tools and candy pieces came tumbling out and scattered across the table. Rubbing his elbow, he snorted to himself. That was why. He'd been pretty preoccupied with Sans yelling at him and what that might mean when he returned. He didn't know how to gauge Sans' mood.

When he made Edge angry, he knew to give his brother space and then grovel at his feet for a good day and everything would go back to normal afterwards. What would Sans want him to do?

" _Red!_ " Red jumped, looking to the side and found Sans looking at him in concern. Behind him, Edge had turned as well, a considering look on his face. His brother eyed him and then rolled his eyelights, turning back to rolling out the cookie dough.

"are you okay?"

Red's eyelights snapped back to Sans and before he could control himself, he blurted out, " _me_? are _yer_ okay?"

"huh?" By the Stars, his littlest looked so confused.

"damnit, sweetheart…" Red started, gritting his teeth as he looked down. "yer were upset earlier. an' it was because of me…" Stars… he'd messed up. "I dunno if yer want me around righ' now that's-"

_Clink_

Red froze. Slowly, he slid his eyelights to Sans who was blushing but looking determined.

"Red." Sans began sternly, "shut up and decorate the damn cookies."

Silence.

Then Edge barked a raspy laugh behind them and Red felt his cheeks warm up, fangs turning up into a smile he couldn't control.

"yessir, sweetheart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	12. Dec 11 - Christmas Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own the artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

 

The Fell brothers had never heard Sans scream or anything of the like before. He was a generally quiet monster, gentle even when getting lively. They'd heard him shout a couple of times and squeal once or twice when Red would suddenly swoop in for some affection without warning.

In some ways, they liked that. If they never heard Sans scream, it would be a victory. In their minds that meant their date-mate was safe and they hadn't failed in their duty to protect him.

But not all screams are bad ones.

* * *

That day, when Red was getting dressed in the guest room and Edge was speaking with the Queen over the landline to thank her on behalf of a very shy Sans for the monster she had sent to install a new heater, they were both startled by a high-pitched scream.

Red teleported straight to the living room, fangs bared and a single eyelight flaring aggression and anger in his socket, and Edge was right behind him, a spine-javelin forming in his open hand and every bit the Underfell Royal Guardsmen once more.

All that power and tightly constrained fury came to a stop however when they spotted Sans standing unharmed and unafraid in front of the front door with a large stack of letters in his trembling hands. Two slipped out of his grip which were caught with blue magic as he struggled to reach into his jacket pocket and balance them.

"tralalala… family supports each other~!" Riverperson, that the Fells had registered as past-threat but not quite comprehended yet, sang with the soft jangle of coins somewhere in it's cloak. Sans brightened, face flushed with excitement.

"aw, _Paps_. oh, uh, just a minute!"

Sans turned and paused mid-stride as he realized for the first time that they were there. But it didn't stop him for long. He smiled wider at the sight of them, "Paps wrote me letters!" He exclaimed, eyelights large and bright and suddenly it made sense.

Red chuckled, loosening the grip on the small sharpened bone he'd hidden behind his back and letting it disperse into nothingness, "that sounds like yer bro." He could feel the tension bleed out of his own brother and placed the hand that had been holding his weapon on Edge's closed fist that still shook ever so slightly. Edge seemed okay though, watching Sans attentively. Red huffed, amused. Edge would probably be shadowing Sans for the rest of the day.

There was no sign of the spine lance he noted absently.

Sans laid his brother's letters reverently on the couch before turning on his heel and popping away. Edge stiffened on reflex and with the slightest rumble that Red could tell was a growl, he watched the closed bedroom door that they could hear rustling behind.

He rubbed his brother's hand soothingly, eyeing the letters. There were a lot. At least eleven… one for each day.

Another pop of displaced air and Sans scurried over to the Riverperson a single letter in a pale orange envelope in his hands.

"could you give this to him, please?"

"tralalala… tis the season to be giving~!"

"thank you." Sans said softly, still trembling from excitement but obviously coming down from the worked-up state he had been in. He wasted no time in returning to his letters, hopping on the couch and reaching for the first one in the stack. Red joined him more slowly, watching Edge approach the Riverperson who had remained standing in the doorway despite Sans abandoning it for his letters. There was a slight exchange where Edge wrote something down on a small piece of paper and handed it to the Riverperson.

He was not surprised that Riverperson could cross countries so easily and flippantly to deliver letters. Apparently the Riverperson had been passing between all the Undergrounds but no one could tell if that was because that was what Riverperson's magic allowed it to do or if he had known some secret and never told another Soul. Either way, you couldn't blame it and Riverperson's abilities had saved more than a few.

Sans unabashed giddy giggling stole his attention completely and he shifted closer, draping himself on top of Sans. "hey, sweetheart, wanna read them to me?"

Sans looked elated but looked between the stack and the two-page letter that had been in the first envelope. "it's a lot."

Red grinned, nuzzling into Sans, "don' have anywhere else I'd rather be, sweetheart."

"heh… okay." Sans returned to the top of the letter. "dear sans my lazybones brother. I have just arrived in Italy and it is everything I hoped it would be. There are so many friends to make here. The monsters I am travelling with are stricken by something our teacher calls jet lag but the great Papyrus has risen above it. I endeavored to help all of my fellow chefs to their rooms with their luggage and I write now in the comfort of my hotel room to inform you we all arrived safe and sound."

Red hummed quietly, closing his sockets and simply listening to the contentedness in his littlest's voice. He could feel Edge never drifting far from them but doing something in the room. He stayed there, eventually pulling Sans into his lap as he read letter after letter, and they were joined by Edge somewhere between the fifth and sixth letter. Just listening to the thoughts and antics of their date-mate's most cherished Soul.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Papyrus carefully folded the letter that had been sent to thoughtfully by his brother and tucked it nicely into a drawer of his desk. Then sighed in deep relief.

He was very glad he had called the Fells now.

Sans' letter hadn't been incredibly long but Papyrus' hadn't expected it to be. His big brother was a brief speaker and his writing was not much different. However, it had been filled with Sans thoughts on the last couple of days he'd spent with his date-mates. Papyrus was glad to see Sans inviting the Fells so closely into their traditions and sharing their activities with them. He was also incredibly relieved that the Fells were doing such a superb job at keeping his big brother happy. He'd known they would but… his brother was so painfully shy and so often very lonely and Papyrus had worried even so.

Papyrus smiled and took out his notebook, filled with scraps of information he had jotted down while sightseeing earlier that day. Things he would be putting in his next letter. He would be throwing all his energy toward this golden opportunity now that he knew Sans was doing perfectly fine.

He hummed to himself as he wondered what his big brother was doing now. Hopefully not eating at Grillby's again… Papyrus shook his head and exclaimed aloud, "NO. EDGE IS A VERY RESPONSIBLE MONSTER. HE WILL ENSURE THAT SANS EATS HEALTHILY." And he had no doubts it was true.

In fact, thinking of the edgy tall skeleton reminded Papyrus of the small folded note that RIverperson had delivered to him along with Sans' letter.

He found it balanced precariously on his desk's edge and unfolded it with equal care. Had Sans had some last thought to give him?

Papyrus stared down at the words written in graceful script and felt gratitude blossom throughout his Soul, "THANK YOU, EDGE."

Papyrus pulled out a loose piece of paper and prepared to write his new letter but paused a few words in. After a moment of deliberation, he couldn't help himself and pulled out Sans' letter to reread it for the third time that night with a Soul pulsing with love.

 

 

 

' **We will take care of him until you return. Your brother is well. He misses you but he is happy.** '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	13. Dec 12 - Bedtime Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own the artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

 

Sans woke up and was surprised to feel… bad. He blinked up at his ceiling, a strange heaviness on his limbs that he wasn't sure how to justify. Glancing at the clock, he was surprised to see it was six in the morning. Why was he even awake? He sat up with what felt like far too much effort and breathed in deeply, trying to shake off the oddness.

His tired eyelights found the stack of papers on his bedside table, each laid out flat from how many times he had read and handled them the day before. Remembering it was confusing. He had been ecstatic to get word from Papyrus and he'd been so relieved to hear how well he was doing. He'd gone to bed feeling wonderful.

Now… now, Sans realized, he was feeling incredibly lonely.

He picked up one of the letters and read it. Then another one. Then a third. After the fifth letter he straightened the pile and rolled back over. It was very quiet; and Sans realized he didn't just miss Papyrus either.

He had barely spent a night alone in his own bed and he already missed feeling Red holding him as though he were the other's teddy bear, the presence Edge gave simply by being there that settled on his senses and made him feel safe even in his dreams, and the soft sounds of life from someone next to him. Pulling the covers over his head, he buried his face in his pillow and felt the familiar fear of nightmares full of dust beginning to creep over him once again.

 

 

Sans knew he had surprised his date-mates when he shuffled down the stairs at seven-thirty. He'd been able to manage the energy to get out of bed after an hour passed and he'd still been unable to fall back asleep. He'd half-heartedly chuckled at Red's mock-surprise and fall off the couch at his early-rising, and not missed the look of concern Red had given him. Edge had asked him if something was wrong, everything in his tone telling Sans that he would do everything he could to fix it, and Sans had simply shrugged and shook his head.

He knew he was not fooling either of them with his attempts at normality but he was thankful that they played along. But there was really nothing they could do about him missing Papyrus.

It was strange, he hadn't ever stopped missing his little brother, not completely. But for some reason the letters had brought it to his attention all over again. And made it… worse? It was a reminder that Paps would be gone for another three weeks though.

Sans smiled to himself, wrapped in the throw blanket that still smelled like garlic and the homemade spices Papyrus had learned to make. He figured immersing himself in thoughts of what they could be doing together wasn't exactly the best type of coping method but it was making him feel better now so what did it matter?

But it was fine. Papyrus was having the time of his life and Sans would be okay…

…

…

"…sweetheart?" Sans startled awake at Red's whisper so close and opened his sockets to see Red leaning over him, eyelights narrowed slightly.

"oh. hey Red. what time is it?" He yawned, sitting up to lean against the back of the couch.

"eight." Red answered, sounding just off enough for Sans to look at the other skeleton a little more closely. Red seemed to catch on to that as well, as any sign of that 'off-ness' disappeared behind a sharp grin. "looked like yer needed the sleep so Boss said he'd eat some of the leftovers from last night tonight an' let me grab some of Grillby's for yer and me."

Sans smiled, "thanks Red." He took the hand that Red extended to him and let himself be lead to the kitchen where two bags from Grillby's were sitting on the kitchen table. Pulling his bag to him once they were seated, Sans reached in and before he felt anything else, he felt a piece of paper. Pulling it out and unfolding it, he felt his loneliness recede a little bit.

' _The ones who love you are not far away._ '

Sans smiled and carefully folded the slightly burnt paper and put it in his pocket. He ate his burger and fries smothered in ketchup, laughed when Red accidentally dumped half of the mustard bottle into his lap and cursed his way into the bathroom, and took that chance to take over the living room TV so he could put on his show before Red came back. He reveled in being pulled into Red's lap and ended up falling asleep five minutes into the start of the movie due to finally getting what he wanted since he had woken that morning.

When he woke up to Red carrying him to bed, he let Red think he was asleep as he laid him in his bed and tucked him in. He thought for sure that he was sleepy enough, warm enough to go straight to sleep but something still felt wrong. After tossing and turning for two hours, Sans sat up and pulled on his parka over his pajamas and walked over to Papyrus' room.

He glanced around the room, nostalgia in every corner. But tonight, he was interested in only one thing. Making his way to Papyrus' book case he scanned the titles with a small smile.

Most of them were cookbooks or glossy car magazines, all of them loved and cared for. At the bottom though, was where Sans' current search brought him. The books there were not as glossy but they care in preserving them could not be understated. The entire collection of Fluffy Bunny was nestled neatly on a shelf and beside them a much smaller collection of Christmas books.

Grabbing the lot of them, he wandered downstairs already immersed in memories of reading these to Papyrus. Sans had bought a couple on a whim one Christmas after getting to the surface and Papyrus had utterly fallen in love with them. Not as much as Fluffy Bunny, but enough that they had begun buying one new Christmas book a year.

Taking a seat on the couch, he set the stack to the side and picked one up, beginning to read it softly aloud. It was quiet, being nearly two in the morning, and the only other sound was the soft crackling from the fire burning in the fireplace.

Sans had made it halfway through the first book when he sensed someone watching him. He looked up.

In the shadows of the hall, a large form with two slitted eyelights watched him intently. The sight seemed like something from nightmares but those eyelights had chased away his.

"hi Edge." Sans murmured.

Edge came over to him slowly, a considerate tone despite the stern expression on his face, "Sans. What are you doing up?"

While Sans debated his answer, Edge came to sit beside him. The taller skeleton noticed the stack of books on the coffee table and picked one up, scanning the cover. His voice was quiet, "Ah… is this another tradition of you and your brothers?"

"yeah."

"I see…" Edge seemed to think something over for a moment before leaning back against the couch and extending an arm to Sans. Curious, Sans scooted over and he was gently led to lean against his side, secured with a strong arm. The book was laid in Edge's lap and to Sans complete surprise, Edge began to read aloud.

His surprise passed quickly though and he relaxed against his date-mate, a yawn escaping him suddenly. He felt Edge's fingers gently caressing his shoulder and Sans gave a pleased hum, closing his sockets. The deep, throaty voice of Edge's was soothing. A voice used to ordering soldiers and shouting with rage was softened into a low rumble that helped Sans on his way to sleep.

It was really nice, Sans thought to himself, no wonder Papyrus demanded one every night.

 

 

Edge continued to read even as he heard Sans' breathing even out in natural sleep. He'd known something was amiss but as he had suspected, what had made their date-mate so miserable was something he nor Red could help with. Except try to keep his mind off of it. They had been doing so well, Edge knew Sans would settle again.

He finished the book and set it aside, pausing only to grab another from the large stack. He leaned back again and exhaled with amusement, "I know you are there, brother."

The darkness was illuminated by the brightly glowing eyelights Red summoned. His brother was leaning against the guest room door and had been there shortly after he'd begun reading.

"didn' want to interrupt yer moment, Boss."

"Do not be ridiculous." Edge reprimanded immediately, seeking to alleviate any of his brother's insecurities as quickly as possible. "Come here."

Red walked over, slowing to lean over and place a quick kiss to Sans' forehead, "night sweetheart."

Sans mumbled something, one of his hands skittering across the cushion before being caught by Edge's hand. Edge carefully repositioned Sans to rest his head on his legs while Red chuckled taking his place on Edge's other side. As his big brother nestled into his side, Edge opened the next book and began to read.

Edge read throughout the night. Red ended up dropping to sleep as well, a hand latching on one of his ribs. The soft heat from the flame supplied by the Queen. He read every book and when he was done, he simply stayed in place and watched over his date-mate and mate until the morning sun arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	14. Dec 13 - Ice Skating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own the artwork featured in this chapter!  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

 

It was decided the next morning that they should get out of the house and do something. Most of Sans' work for Queen Toriel did not require him to venture far from home, as his unfortunate anxiety had demanded of him in the earlier days of getting to the surface. Edge had stated during breakfast that they would be going to the ice rink here in New New Home much to Sans delight. Red, Sans had noticed, seemed to go a bit ashen at the news but kept up his grin all the same.

"a-awesome Boss. when we goin'?"

Sans raised a brow at Red's strained tone and caught sight of the mirth glowing in Edge's sockets.

"Hmm… the earlier we go, the less crowded it should be. Be ready in an hour." Edge picked up their plates as answered, smirking, and Red slid down in his seat with a groan.

Sans laughed and got a scowl in return, "you ever try an' ice skate before?"

"no. but I can't wait to see you on the ice." Sans chuckled, enjoying watching Red be the one to turn a different color this time.

"It will be entertaining, my dear."

Sans looked over in surprise. Edge, however, seemed very busy with the dishes. Nonetheless, Sans felt… flattered by the endearment. Red had ceased to use his name about thirty minutes into meeting him, but Edge had tended to prefer using his name instead. Which Sans liked but… gosh, it was kind of nice to hear that too.

 

* * *

 

"uh… sweetheart? is that all yer bringin'?"

Sans looked up from where he was typing up his shoelaces. It was always a little loose when he did it, he preferred his pink slippers but with the chance it might start snowing, Edge had insisted he wear something more suitable.

"what do you mean?" Sans questioned, he wasn't missing anything. He had a pair of sweatpants on, with one of his long-sleeved shirts, and his parka as well. And they didn't need anything to go ice skating that they couldn't get from the ice rink. But Red was looking at him as if he were about to walk out naked or something. He looked back down at his clothes uncertainly, "i-is something wrong?"

Red didn't seem to know how to answer, a troubled look in his sockets. Sans shifted and then glanced upwards when a hand settled on his shoulders. Edge too looked troubled, scanning him intently.

"Sans, do you not have anything to wear that is suited for winter?"

"um… no? i mean, i have… these?" Sans gestured to his clothes now more unsure than before. "I wore them all the time in Snowdin."

"sweetheart, the weather in the Undergrounds were all simulated, yer know that. it's three times as cold up here."

"it's all i have."

Sans wasn't sure what else to say as he felt the weight of his date-mates' stares on him. Red let out a sigh, drawing his gaze. Red walked up to him, shucking off his gloves and grabbing his hands. Red's too-large gloves slid onto his hands and were secured tight with the Velcro straps before he could protest.

"but these are yours- wha… hey!" Sans spluttered as vibrant crimson slid across his view and Edge's scarf was securely bundled around his neck. Red finished by pulling Sans' fluffy hood over his skull. He stepped back and nodded once.

"could be better, Boss, but it'll do."

"t-thanks." Sans mumbled into Edge's scarf and blushed as Red smirked at him.

"yer look good in our clothes, sweetheart."

 

* * *

 

True to Edge's word, the ice rink only had a few skaters on the ice. Most were monsters but there were a few humans, families. Sans watched the couples skating together and the parents gently guiding their children, no doubt teaching them how.

"Thank you."

Sans looked up as the three pairs of skates were handed over by the lady behind the counter. Standing half behind Edge's legs, Sans thought she looked nice. She almost reminded him of Toriel, she had this motherly aura around her. And as his eyelights flickered yellow, he saw through the Judge's Sight that her Level Of ViolencE was a flat 1.

She looked down at him and Sans' flinched at the sudden attention, but smiled tentatively back as she waved with a cheery wish to have fun on the ice.

"alrigh', let's get this over with." Red groaned, taking the skates that Edge held out for him. Sans glanced at his scowl and couldn't wait to see what had his date-mate who was usually so unflappably confidant so nervous.

 

Getting on the ice was the easy part, Sans discovered, it was staying standing that took a little bit more effort. He held the rail in one hand and Edge steadied him with the other.

"Just glide, the momentum should be enough to keep you steady if you keep your feet pointing forward." Edge instructed and Sans pushed off lightly, managing a small glide before needing to be guided back to the railing, "Practice and soon you won't need it."

"dunno. seems like too much effort." Sans sighed and angled a teasing smile up at Edge when he heard him release a sound of exasperation. "okay, okay. maybe you should go tell Red that."

The thud behind them told Sans that once more, Red had slipped and landed on his back once again.

"Stars damnit…"

"Language!" They chorused together, both looking over their shoulders to see Red had indeed fallen over. He glared at them and then let his skull thunk back on to the ice.

As Edge gracefully made his way to his fallen brother, Sans began to push himself along the rails in small glides. He'd make sure to give Red plenty of kisses later because he planned to tease Red mercilessly over this.

"Welp, wait, don't let-"

"oof!" A pause as eyes were drawn to the skeleton that had face-planted into the ice. "i hate ice skating."

 

By the end of their paid two hours Edge had amazed everyone by skillfully performing tricks on the ice that only pro-skaters could accomplish, Sans had accomplished a stable if wobbly push and glide system, and Red's bones were lightly bruised with pink magic. On the way home, Sans was sure to hold Red's hand and gently filter his, admittedly weak, healing magic through their connection. Edge would complete the job once they were safely home but as it was, they walked in the chill of midday laughing good-heartedly over the success and failures of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	15. Dec 14 - Warm Scarf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own the artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

 

Sans might have thought Edge had forgotten it or perhaps not properly noticed it in the first place.

But every bone in Edge's body had been humming with displeasure since their date-mate had informed them of his dismal clothing options. It immediately rang gravely against his instincts, keeping the knowledge firmly in the back of his mind.

When they'd returned from ice skating, he had called both of his date-mates for their laundry and gotten to what basically amounted to Red's suitcase, which he had expected. It was what Sans had dropped off to him that had confirmed a suspicion that had been growing ever since he had first gotten a glimpse of Sans' bedroom.

In the hamper that Sans had dropped off, there had only been one pair of shorts, one pair of sweatpants, a single white long-sleeved shirt, a couple of white short-sleeved shirts, three shirts that seemed to only exist to make a pun, his parka, and actually quite a few pairs of socks. But it was so little. And he was suspicious.

Sans had been wearing his pajamas and Edge wondered how many more pieces of clothing were left in his room versus what was in the hamper. The clothes he had put in the wash were the only ones he could remember Sans wearing.

It could be because Sans was frugal with his money but there was enough evidence to cast a much more… remiss light on his lack of winter wear.

When Edge had remarked on it that night and offered to take him out to get a set that would be warm enough for the forecasted snowfall, Sans had stubbornly refused.

"you don't need to do that. don't worry about it, it's fine!" He had insisted, beginning to look upset.

It was something else Edge noticed. Sans tended to get… agitated when people tried to give him what he viewed as charity. He had an idea why, if Red's own attitude toward handouts were an indication. People who were forced to be independent as children tended to react that way.

This is what led Edge to slip out early in the morning. He had set out just after breakfast. Once again, Sans had gotten up far earlier than usual and dropped off for a nap on the couch right after. Another suspicion to be handled another time.

Sans did not like being pitied and Edge knew it was at least half a conscious decision to spoil Papyrus. Sans settled for less by choice and while it wasn't a bad way to live, as Edge often went that route himself, there was a line between practical and neglectful that Sans was on the wrong side of. More so because of Sans low HoPe.

On the other hand, as he'd seen with the media center fireplace, Sans would not refuse a gift. His own nature wouldn't allow it. So, he'd set out on a mission, just a small one for today, and entered a small shop Downtown.

He browsed for a few minutes but when he saw it, he knew exactly what he wanted to gift his date-mate with today.

 

* * *

 

Edge was returning home just as Red and Sans were pulling on their freshly clean jackets.

"hey Boss, we're heading out for a bit. sweetheart wants to submit a few reports in person to the Queen." Red explained as Sans gathered his laptop into the satchel hanging by the door.

Sans looked over with a bemused smile, "you can call her Tori, you know? she's doesn't really like all the formal titles and stuff."

"heh, maybe when i get to know her better." Red chuckled. Edge caught the glance from Red and hid his own amusement as he took off his jacket. They both knew Queen Toriel was actually quite a stickler for formalities; except for those she cherished as her own. Frisk and Sans were one of the few firmly in that category. "ready to go?"

Sans nodded, walking over to Red.

"Sans." Edge called out, pulling a small package out of his jacket pocket. "Come here for a moment."

Sans did so, curious. And when Edge extended the package to him he took it with raised brows, "Edge?"

"Consider it an early Christmas present."

As Sans unwrapped it, Edge found himself once more in an uncomfortable nervousness. Unlike Red, who he knew inside and out, Sans was a challenge and though he thrived on discovering each new thing about his date-mate, this always set him on edge.

"Edge… it's…" Sans dropped the paper packaging as he ran his phalange across the cashmere in his hands. He hadn't said anything positive, but Edge could see it in his eyelights and the nerves eased as he knelt down to carefully and securely wrap the scarf around Sans' neck. It was a soft frosted blue color with cream colored tassels on the ends.

"Do not protest. It is a gift and I will now allow you to return it to me." Edge stated firmly as he stood back up, stepping back with his arms crossed.

Sans' fingers played with the tassels before he looked up smiling adorably, "it's beautiful... thanks, Edge…" his tone full of gratitude.

Edge smiled back, pride welling in his Soul.

"Have a good day."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	16. Dec 15 - Window Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

"Red! look at these." Sans called from where he was nearly salivating over the books piled against the wall. Red set down the romance novel as though it were on fire and glanced around to make sure no one saw him eyeing the bargain bin full of them. He slid beside Sans and followed his starry gaze to what basically amounted to heaven.

Red whistled lowly, scanning the titles. So many astronomy books, so little time. And unfortunately, he couldn’t buy a single one of them.

Today, they were window shopping. Sans had returned from Toriel's with an idea. They would window shop and write down everything they saw that they would want for Christmas. It could be specific or it could be generic, but it would help them choose what to buy for each other for their first Christmas as date-mates.

And to make sure they could buy these things for each other, they agreed not to buy anything that they saw today.

Currently they were in the bookstore in the Downtown Mall, which was literally its name. Sans had nearly begged with his eyelights to go in. Needlessly really, all he had to do was ask, but damn the power of those large eyelights and their wobbly waver as he tugged Red toward the store was… well thank Stars Sans was such a sweetheart.

Red chuckled at his internal pun and wrote down 'science' on his list. He glanced at the bargain bin for a moment, pencil posed, and then shook his head.

"alrigh, sweetheart, ready to leave these beauties behind?"

Sans looked desperate to stay and grab a few of the books but nodded with a heavy sigh, trudging to the door. Red waved off the concerned cashier by the entrance and followed Sans to the bench where Edge was waiting for them, studying something on his phone.

"Are you ready to move on?" Edge questioned, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

"yeah." Sans said, looking back longingly. Red stifled a laugh as Edge stood up, a hint of a smile on his fangs. Sans turned away purposefully and looked upwards at their tallest, "do you wanna go by the store with all those vehicle accessories?"

Edge looked left, the general direction of said store, thoughtfully. Then he shook his head, "No. Many of those accessories are expensive and personalized."

Red nodded once, turning as though looking for another store to hide his smirk. He already had a few things in the works concerning that store.

"oh, okay. so… where should we go next?"

"hey," Red drawled, "wanna go check out that gourmet food place? the one selling all those premium condiments?" He very carefully avoided his brother's eyelights and watched Sans brighten.

"oh yeah! Paps bought me a bottle of ketchup from that place last year! it was so good." Sans nearly purred and Edge gave the universe at large an aggravated sigh.

"nice." Now Red was daydreaming about the glossy bottles of mustard filling the shelves in that shop.

"it _really_ is."

"yeah… we could just… stop by. yer know, just to see if they have anythin'-"

"I think it's time to go home." Edge said sternly and picked both of them up, Sans in one arm and Red by the hood of his jacket.

Both of the skeletons being held let out twin sounds of disappointment and Edge with all the grace of a monster who indulged his partners too much said, "I will make the both of you your own homemade mustard and ketchup when we return home." He gave them each a firm stare, "Provided you do not whine."

It was safe to say that both Red and Sans were quite content to sing Christmas carols all the way home.

 

* * *

 

While Edge was being true to his word and making their very own homemade condiments with Sans watching his every move in anticipation, Red gathered their lists and stuck them on the refrigerator.

Sans' list was small but summed up their littlest in the best of ways: science books, new slippers, punny shirts, astronomy, and winter clothes. The last item was on behalf of their tallest. Edge had been quietly scoping out the winter wear while they were out and Sans had finally relented and wrote it down. Edge's list was just as simple: new gloves, new whisks, new stainless-steel pan, motorcycle care books, and books about new forms of combat.

Red looked at his own and sighed. He's spent all day looking but really all he'd gotten was science books and mustard. And he'd thought Sans would be the one with the most trouble, but it seemed Sans knew exactly what he wanted he just denied himself from actually getting it.

' _ah well…_ ' Red thought, looking behind him. Edge had handed Sans the mixing spoon covered in ketchup, smiling as Sans eagerly accepted it. Sans licked it, not unlike the way he had done with the candy canes, but this time Red just chuckled as Sans praised Edge who in turn flushed ever so slightly. ' _don' need much more than this._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	17. Dec 16 - Ribbons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> The artwork featured in this chapter are not mine!  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

 

"thanks for coming with me, kiddo." Sans said, kicking the door closed behind him. His arms were full of bags from various shops that he unloaded onto the couch with a huff of relief. Frisk set their bags down beside his, smiling brightly and nodding as they signed back at him to not worry about it.

Edge and Red had been called back to their Underground, Underfell, by Lady Dreemur. Sans hadn't been privy to a lot of the development going on in Underfell as that fell to the Royal Guardsmen that originated from there and the Captains of the other Guardsmen, such as Undyne. However, when Sans had expressed concern, simply hoping they would return safely and if they needed him to contact Toriel for anything, Edge had explained the situation as much as he could.

Underfell had been one of the Prisons that had turned to violence to maintain any sort of order and law. Once the Barriers had gone down, Underfell was also one of the Prisons that had not seen an immediate exodus of its inhabitants. In the end, only a few Underfell monsters had come to the Surface while Lady Dreemur had usurped her late husband in order to attempt to 'rehabilitate' the monsters that had been led into savagery under his reign. Edge's Captain had stayed with her and after a couple of years things were apparently getting a little better.

"We are simply needed as support in bringing supplies down to them. Lady Dreemur was strict in her instructions. She will only be allowing monsters from Underfell to descend." Edge had explained and seeing Sans' worry had added reassuringly, "We will not be gone long and we will be surrounded by able-bodied warriors."

"don' forget, we aren't to shabby ourselves, sweetheart." Red had drawled, planting a kiss on him, "see yer soon. _promise_."

And with that they had teleported away.

He would still worry of course, but he decided to trust them. It was their own Underground and they knew better than anyone what to expect _and_ what to do. So, in an effort to distract himself and take advantage of the fact he didn't have two protective date-mates hovering nearby, he had decided to go Christmas shopping for them while they were gone.

He had phoned Toriel as soon as he'd grabbed Edge and Red's lists. She had been glad to let Frisk accompany him to the mall once he'd explained what they would be doing. The day he'd dropped off a few reports on a few monster relocation efforts, Frisk had told him that they needed to buy a gift for their mom, specifically with someone who could keep a secret.

He'd promised to help so long as the secret did not involve anyone getting hurt and Frisk had promised to show him exactly what they planned to buy and that it was nothing scandalous. It was only that most of their friends and family were the excitable kind and weren't always the best under pressure or particularly secretive. Sans understood completely and told the kid that he'd help out anytime.

Although he might have been unable to bear going back to the Downtown Mall if the kid hadn’t wanted to go with him. For a brief moment, he'd frozen up in terror as his own thoughts caught up with him.

Surrounded by humans, their LOVE exposed for him to see, it was an unbearable thought. It had passed quickly but he'd shakenly reached for his cellphone right after.

"hey kiddo, there's some chocolate milk in the fridge." Sans told them as they were admiring the tree. He didn't blame them, he admired it every time he walked into the living room too. Frisk beamed and scampered to the kitchen as Sans called out, "just don't tell Tori I let you have sweets before dinner!"

The soft, breathy sound of their laughter made him grin.

Despite the fact that Sans held an everlasting promise to Toriel to protect Frisk, he always felt safe with them. They always seemed to steer everyone away from trouble, like an instinct. Sans felt, down to his bones, that Frisk was protecting every one of the monsters even if he had no proof of it. Frisk felt like safety in a way that he could not completely understand. Trying to understand their skill and luck of avoiding disasters both little and small gave him a headache.

Nonetheless, they had finished their shopping and picked up what the they needed and now it was time to wrap everything.

Frisk returned to the living room and had a cup of chocolate milk and a bottle of ketchup in hand, a questioning smile on their face.

"aw, thanks kiddo."

Frisk beamed.

Sans sipped at his ketchup, leaning against the couch as he spilled his purchases out on the floor. Frisk was already dragging the box of wrapping paper and present bags out into the open and soon joined him, carefully taking the large box out of their biggest bag.

They looked at the box, a rare look of hesitance on their face. Sans noticed it right away and chuckled, ruffling their hair messily.

"hey, don't worry about it. she'll love anything you get her."

Frisk gave him an unimpressed look and Sans laughed.

"and she'll love this. we've both heard her talking about since it got colder, right?"

The kid nodded, smiling now and Sans set his ketchup aside, "alright then, let's get started. knowing my d-datemates, they'll be home sooner rather than later." Sans frowned at his own hesitance. He was proud that they were his and that they wanted him but whenever he said it out loud… it seemed to good to be true. Shaking his head with a sigh, he reached for the first gift.

He missed the concerned look on Frisk's face as he slowly went about measuring the paper for the gifts he had bought for Edge and Red, summoning the tools with a wave of his hand and blue magic. He also missed the way Frisk's concern turned devious as they looked at the box full of wrapping decorations.

 

* * *

 

 

"fuck, feels like those runs get longer each month." Red groused as he dropped them off in their living room. It had been an unspoken agreement that they would shed their 'Underfell' clothes back home rather than worry Sans with anything ripped up or bloodied.

"Perhaps. However, it was marginally quieter this time around."

His brother was studying the uniform he had worn with a pleased air. Last time they'd done a supply run down, Edge had been forced to fashion an entirely new shirt and jacket. Monsters still residing in Underfell still hadn't quite grasped the concept of ' _there's enough for everyone_ ' and constantly tried to steal from the crates the Guard hauled in. Last time there had been a violent altercation between a gang of Hotland monsters and one of them had raked their claws on Edge's upper body. Thankfully, only his clothes and armor had been damaged, barely a scrape on his spine.

This run _had_ been better though, Red relented. One or two monsters had attempted theft otherwise they'd only been shadowed by the curious and the desperate. He had been prepared for a fight and without it, he could feel his adrenaline running strong. His left socket was still smoking with magic.

"Hurry and get dressed, welp." Red started at the caress as Edge walked past him and into his bedroom, "The sooner we return to Sans the sooner you will calm down."

Red felt his magic react ever so slightly, the red wisps of magic in his socket growing stronger, and he wondered if the entire time he thought he had been itching for a fight it was actually the want to get back to Sans.

"right behind yer, Boss."

 

* * *

 

Red was even more sure it wasn't adrenaline, rather anticipation, as he teleported them to Sans' front door. Red thought about teleporting straight into the living room but after being out of the house for so long, Edge had strictly told him not too. It was Sans home at the end of the day and they had been gone for hours. If he was doing anything he preferred to be private, they owed it to him.

So Red rang the doorbell, feeling a little odd after strolling in and out of the door in front of him for two weeks.

A thud and the sound of Sans' muffled voice had Red raising a brow and looking back to glance at Edge. The door opened with a slight creak and Red turned back, ready to greet their littlest and found himself looking a little higher in order to see the smiling face of the Monster Ambassador.

Red abruptly froze up. Dating Sans had led to meeting a lot of monsters with considerable rank but he had never been face to face with the Child before. The human child responsible for bringing every monster the _sun_. The kid that every monster from Undertale adored like their own.

Particularly, it was the kid that Sans loved like a second sibling.

Panicked at the thought, Red held out his hand before he could think and said, winking, "nice ta meet yer, kid."

He heard his brother hiss out a reprimand just as Frisk took his hand and they jumped at the loud buzz that came from their clasped hands. They looked shocked, surprised.

Red cursed himself silently. Fuck, he hadn't meant to… that old gag wasn't what he wanted to give as a first impression to the literal Savior of Monsterkind.

Then they started laughing in this soft, breathy sort of way. A type of laugh that told him they didn't laugh hard very often and he felt himself swelling with pride, smirking as he raised his hand to show off his hand-buzzer.

"the hand-buzzer's a real _shocker_ , ain't it?"

Frisk nodded, still giving the soft laughter as they stepped back, waving them inside.

"Child. You must not stoop to their level." He heard Edge scolding gently, the tone he only reserved for children… and Sans. "They are ruining your sense of good humor."

Red was too busy looking for their littlest to retort properly and noticed the new shiny additions under the tree almost immediately. He took a few moments to marvel at the prettily wrapped presents; all of them with his or his brother's name! He stepped around the couch, now more determined to find Sans and give him a kiss 'hello' and 'thank you'.

He stopped and stared instead as he watched Sans push himself clumsily into a sitting position. Clumsily because his arms were stuck to his sides by some rather artfully spun ribbon. The ribbon was translucent red with silver stars and woven over and under his arms, across his white T-shirt, and ended in a big bow on the side of his neck.

"oh, hey Red. welcome back." Sans huffed, breathing a little hard as he smiled up at him. His eyelights twinkled cheerfully, "me and the kid got a bit _tied_ up wrapping the presents."

Red laughed even as he circled the delicious looking sight before him and found something that made his eyelights glow even brighter. Stuck to the bow just right that Sans couldn't possibly see it was a tag that said, **TO: EDGE and RED** – **FROM: FRISK**.

"son of a…" Red cut himself off and looked over where Edge, in his height could see Sans perfectly well from the front door, and Frisk was peeking around the back of the couch with a devious smile. "kid," He started, "i love it. thanks." And gave them a thumbs up.

Frisk returned the gesture just as a horn honked from outside.

"NGHAAAAAAA! I'M HERE TO PICK YOU UP, KID! HURRY IT UP!"

Frisk giggled and signed something to Sans who chuckled indulgently and nodded, "sure thing. I'll bring it over at Tori's party in a couple days. see you then, kiddo."

Frisk beamed, sent a wink to Red and one to his brother as well, if the slightly bewildered smirk was any clue, and then scampered out the door. It closed with a click behind them and Red took that moment to pull the tag looser and walk back in front of Sans.

"that was fun." Sans was saying, smiling up at Edge who had come closer, a look Red could tell was hungry. "but they can get a bit… carried away. can you help me out?"

Edge's smirk widened. Sans' eyelights shrunk just a bit as he eyed Edge cautiously, then looked over at him. Red was sure there was a matching look on his own face as he held up the tag for Sans to read. He watched him read it, realize what it meant, and turn that adorable, gorgeous shade of blue.

"oh, _sweetheart_." Red growled, "we'll help yer out. straight down to yer _bones_." He took the trail of ribbon and softly brushed it down the side of Sans' face, waiting despite his desirous words and hot burn of his Soul.

Sans' shuddered, leaning into the ribbon. His eyelights grew and hazed slightly as his sockets drooped. Sans met his heated gaze and nodded once. "okay." he breathed and Red grinned, stealing a kiss and relishing in the soft noise Sans made in response.

"But perhaps not all the way."

Edge had approached now that they had Sans' permission and easily lifted their bound date-mate once Red had stepped back. Sans was made another noise, this one reminiscent of a squeak at the motion.

"sure thing, Boss… what's a present without a few ribbons."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.
> 
> Lady Dreemur is Underfell!Toriel. Undertale!Toriel is no longer married to Asgore so any later reference to Lady Dreemur, if there is any, will be referring to Edge and Red's Toriel who is not a Queen in this story.


	18. Dec 16.5 - Ribbon (nsfw)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

**my first official NSFW chapter/scene. hope it's a good one. :3**

 

Red laved at Sans' neck, teasingly dragging his tongue along the individual dips of his vertebrae. His brother was holding Sans loosely from where he had settled against the bed's headboard. Although holding was not entirely accurate as Sans was slumped in his lap, unable to do more than arch into their caresses every now and then.

Red had taken his place in front of Sans, holding his arms gently to his sides, restraining but giving Sans every chance to break free if that is what he really wanted. He didn't want to miss a single one of Sans' expressions, intent on burning them into his memory and devouring the sight of bare bones exposed to him. Sans had allowed them to strip his shirt from him but when he'd wavered, obviously wanting to please but just as obviously uncomfortable, as he'd played with the hem of his sweats, Red had pulled his hands away and distracted him with a kiss not unlike their first mistletoe kiss.

Edge had leaned down on the other side of Sans' skull and was murmuring quiet sweet nothings. He had completely taken over the ribbon, weaving it expertly around his lower ribs and then snaking it down his spine in a way that made Sans gasp and jerk towards Red who was always waiting with a kiss to give. He never tied it off, simply weaved it loosely enough to constantly drag it across bone and still exert a ghosting pressure with each pull.

Weave, pull, weave, pull, simple easy pressure, just enough to make Sans crawl to the edge of release.

Edge currently had reached the bottom of Sans' spine, spiraled all around it from the bottom of his ribcage, and his lower floating ribs still gorgeously wrapped in the translucent red silk ribbon. Red had been nibbling on Sans neck, wondering and planning for another night when he might suggest some playful biting when Sans' soft breathy sounds of bliss was stopped by a choked sound and then Sans' let out a cry of pleasure that made Red's Soul pulse hard in arousal.

"sweetheart?" Red could hear his lust in his voice, deeper even to his own ears, because he could _hear_ how close Sans was. He leaned back, searching for whatever had set him off. He only found it when Sans tugged a hand free and made a desperate motion towards his waist, still giving the cutest little gasps.

" _R-Red_ … o-oh _stars_ … it's…" Sans trailed off into a low moan, back bowing into Edge's supporting arm. Red spotted it as Sans grabbed futilely at the ribbon around his lower spine and quickly seized his hand before he could succeed.

The ends of the ribbon that Edge had been ignoring as he played with the length wrapped around Sans already had settled just perfectly to dangle into Sans' pelvic girdle. Just from the shivers Sans could not restrain, Red watched the ribbon brush and sway against his sacrum, no doubt doubly sensitive in his aroused state.

Sans' near sob of his name, then Edge's, pleading even as his body jerked in search of the pleasure it had tasted. "i-i… i don't…" And for a moment Red was afraid they had moved to fast, done too much, because the last thing they wanted was for Sans to associate physical intimacy with any sort of fear but then Sans continued, trying to reach for him through Red's hold on his hands and begging, skull flushed with color and hazed eyelights beginning to form the faintest heart shape. "please… I n-need… _please_ …" and begun to rock back and forth. Trying to stimulate, to chase his pleasure.

' _fuck_ …' Red met his brother's gaze, seeing the lust there and knowing his own expression was the same. They nodded to each other, an understanding passing between them and Red resolved to ignore his burning arousal summoning his magic to his pelvis. They could take care of each other later, this was Sans' time.

Red released Sans' hands and purred when they grabbed at his arms for support, Sans leaning toward him as he whined softly. Red nearly moaned himself when he saw Edge follow Sans, keeping them flush front to back, his fangs parted with quiet murmurs. So close to each other now, he could hear them.

"Do not worry, dear, we will help you." Edge whispered, dragging one large hand across the expanse of his ribs, "Just let yourself go. We have you."

Sans trembled a few moments more before giving a noise of frustration and need. His arms wrapped around Red's neck as he began to rock with more fervor, delicious moans escaping with each back and forth. Edge alternated tugging the ribbon so he did not deprive Sans of his stimulation and Red supported Sans as he moved.

"fuck, sweetheart. so fuckin' gorgeous." Red purred into his neck. Sans, panting too heavily to reply, too sensitive to every stroke and pet they gave him, merely made a blissful sound as he leaned into their touches. His skull and bones were flushed with that pretty shade of blue but it paled in comparison to the glow that was accumulating behind Sans' ribcage.

Red couldn't see Sans' Soul, wouldn't unless it was summoned, but the lightshow made him melt in it's pulses of pleasure and trust. He renewed his efforts, moving a hand expertly along Sans' spine and using the other to guide Sans' to him, meeting him for a kiss.

It didn't take long, but it felt like ages when Sans went rigid, pulling away from the kiss with a sharp cry as the room filled with light, his Soul bursting with utter bliss. The shockwaves, filled with Sans' residual pleasure, forced his magic to solidify in his pelvis making Red groan. His brother's harsh hiss told him he was in a similar situation, no doubt the leather pants he wore much more problematic than his cargo pants.

But they ignored themselves as Sans began to fall from his high, ribs splattered with residual blue magic from his Soul orgasm, eyelights lazy hearts as they dipped lower and lower. He was nearly boneless, Red chuckled to himself, as he slumped into Red's chest, panting.

"sweetheart." Red purred, nuzzling Sans' skull. That had been so fucking hot.

He jerked when he felt a hand brush him over his cargo shorts and studied Sans. He looked half a blink from passing out and Red gently pulled his searching hand away, kissing it, "heh, that's _sweet_ of yer, sweetheart. don' worry about it… jus' go ta sleep, Sans."

Sans made a soft noise and Red wasn't sure if he had protested or agreed before he relaxed, slipping to sleep almost immediately. Red smiled, watching Edge's nimble fingers undoing the ribbon just right so he did not overstimulate Sans' further and found his eyelights drawn to Sans' ribcage, still coated in his Soul release and felt his tongue, heavy behind his teeth, wanting to lick it clean.

Red jerked his head away and reached for his jacket, cleaning Sans' carefully and completely. They weren't even at the ecto-flesh stage with Sans yet, the worst thing he could do was take advantage of Sans' trust by tasting his Soul, remnant or otherwise.

The ribbon was set gingerly on the bedside table and Red teleported to Sans' room, merely taking a cursory glance and grabbing the pajamas laid haphazardly on the floor before teleporting back. Red handed them over to Edge, his brother much more experienced with dressing a sleeping partner. Sans' sweats were quickly slipped off and his pajamas slipped on as Red stripped the comforter off the bed.

As Edge laid Sans down, tucking him under the sheets, their littlest did something so simple but it made them both smile. Sans made a little noise, his hands reaching across the sheets and capturing one of Edge's hands, clinging. His other hand passed back and forth, searching for Red even in his sleep.

Red could feel his ecto-flesh fading as he traded an amused look with his brother. It looked like they would have to wait. They resigned themselves, happily, to curling around their littlest who made a pleased noise before settling in.

Red caressed San's skull before allowing his hand to be covered by Edge's, drawing them down to rest on Sans' chest, letting the calm pulses of his Soul soothe them both. Red fell asleep with Edge's attentive eyelights watching over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	19. Dec 17 - Going Home for the Holidays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> I do not own the artwork featured in this chapter.  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

**some slightly vague descriptions for those people who did not want to read the nsfw portion. ~~~~**

**\-------------** ~~~~

 

 

When Red woke up the next morning he was smiling at the remnants of a dream that was more memory than fantasy. He sighed, feeling totally satisfied despite the night ending a little differently than he or his brother had planned. He doubted he would ever forget the look on Sans' face when he'd climaxed with them for the first time.

They'd made sure that Sans was comfortable and had asked him what he was okay with doing last night. All Sans had asked was that they only took off his shirt and kept his arms unbound. Edge had easily undone the restraining ribbon and Red had watched greedily as their littlest shyly pulled his shirt over his head.

They didn't let Sans linger in any unnecessary embarrassment and had quickly set about distracting him.

' _shit._ ' Red could feel his magic stirring in interest and with an almost hopeful, almost embarrassed glance to his side, he found himself quite alone in bed. ' _aw, damnit…_ ' His head hit the pillow and he groaned, rolling over on his side.

Continuing to roll until he reached the edge of the bed, he slipped on his sneakers and stretched the stiffness out of his bones. Having not changed out of his cargo pants the night before, he shrugged and headed for the door. Now that they'd crossed a few boundaries it would be fun to watch Sans get all flustered by the sight of his bare ribs.

He glanced at the upper floor, listening for any noise that might tell him if Sans was upstairs but the only thing he could hear was the sound of writing in the kitchen. Trudging into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets, he felt his enthusiasm wane slightly when he didn't see Sans. His brother was leaning on the table over a cookbook, a concentrated frown and furrow of his brows telling Red that he was trying a new dish.

Chuckling, he sauntered over to Edge and slid between him and the table, forcing Edge to step back of leave them flush together.

Edge didn't move, merely glanced down at him stoically. Red could see the questioning amusement in his sockets though and he grinned reached up. Edge huffed, leaning down as he snuck a claw under his collar and capturing him into the kiss he wanted.

"Good morning, welp." Edge murmured warmly. Red licked at his brother's fangs playfully before sliding free.

"mornin' Boss. where's sweetheart?"

Edge turned a page in his cookbook, marking something on the notebook next to it, before answering, "I believe he has gone to visit the Queen."

Red frowned. So early? It was only about 7am wasn't it? Uncertainly, he asked, "Boss? is… is he…"

Edge glanced at him before sighing and sitting down. Red quickly scurried into his lap, trying to force his uncertainty and guilt from consuming him until Edge could explain. He was sure everything was fine. Sans had made no signs of wanting to stop last night, nothing that either of them had not given him a chance to back out of… but Sans was so self-sacrificing. What if he hadn’t wanted to do something but Red had thought he had because their littlest hadn't said anything?

"Brother, you will cease your panicking immediately!"

The tone, the order snapped Red out of his panic and he looked up with wide sockets as Edge glared down at him sternly.

"Sans is fine. He was practically glowing when he greeted me this morning." Edge's eyelights gleamed, "If you recall… after we first had sex you went to great lengths to not be in the same room with me for nearly half a week."

Red flushed, "i dunno about _that_ , B-Boss…"

"I had to hunt you down. Repeatedly." Edge reminded him and Red grumbled.

"i was just busy."

Edge laughed, making Red smile despite his embarrassment, "Right. I am sure you were." He sighed then, gently drawing the tips of his claws against Red's neck. Red's bones gave off a soft rattling purr as Edge continued, "The point, brother, is that Sans is likely doing the same thing you did. He may simply need space… or perhaps he needed a friend to speak with."

Red leaned against Edge's chest, nodding along with his words, "yeah… guess yer right, Boss." Considering their littlest's personality, it made sense that he'd go to the Queen for comfort or reassurance or whatever he needed. Especially with Papyrus out of the country.

Edge held him secure with a strong arm as he began to continue to craft his new recipe and Red took the opportunity to bask in the safety and comfort of his brother's presence. Red's sockets closed as he was lulled to sleep by the loving pulses of Edge's Soul beneath his skull.

 

* * *

 

 

Red was beginning to freak out.

" _hey this is Sans and you can leave a voicemail, but why aren't you leaving me a text instead? you could just hang up and do that… no? that's okay. i'll probably learn how to hear my voicemails eventually.-_ " **BEEP**.

"hey there sweetheart, uh, look it's been a few hours since yer left the house an' we haven't heard from yer." Red struggled to keep his voice calm, fingers squeezing the phone so hard he was sure he was beginning to dent it. "jus' call me back. please? jus' wanna know yer safe sweetheart."

Red hung up and finally let loose the concerned whine he'd been holding back as he paced to the window and the encroaching night. Sans had been gone all day and they had heard nothing from him. Red had wondered if they should call around for him, but in the end neither of them had wanted to intrude on their date-mate's day.

It was only a day, less than twenty-four hours and by all rights they shouldn't be so… afraid. Except, it was Sans. Who was gentle and shy and so easily frightened by the humans that crowded the surface and he was theirs damnit! Monsters who were gone for so long without contact… who didn't come home at night? In Underfell, those monsters were already dust.

A strong hand latching on his wrist and yanking it back made Red jump and then scowl as he felt the sting on the inside of his socket. He'd been digging his claws at the crack in his socket again and he mumbled an apology up to his brother. Stars… he was just so fucking worried he felt physically sick.

And judging by the growing look of anger on Edge's face, he was worried out of his mind as well. It was getting near 8pm. Edge had revealed he'd tried to contact him multiple times once evening had rolled around and the phone had gone straight to voicemail. So Red had tried too and gotten the same response.

"Boss." Red felt himself shrinking, torn between getting angry and getting hysterical.

"Focus." Edge snapped. "We will simply track him down. We know where he was going so we will start there and we will find him."

"o-or-"

"We **will** find him."

 

* * *

 

 

Red knocked twice on the Queen's front door nervously, glancing back for Edge.

Normally, Red could have teleported them both to Queen Toriel's doorstep no problem. However, with the circumstances being what they were, Red's emotions were wreaking havoc over control of his magic and there was no guarantee that Red could teleport all three of them back nor that Sans, when they found him, would be able to either. So, Edge had driven them and ordered him to the door while he took a quick patrol of the block.

So anxious, he nearly missed the response to his knocking.

"Who is there?" The voice sounded eager, giggly.

It was the perfect set-up for a joke, a way to get closer to their date-mate's closest friend, but all Red could think about right now was getting answers, "uh… it's Red Fell, ma'am."

There was a pause and then the door unlocked and swung open. Queen Toriel stood there in a soft green dress. Her eyes searched his face, her gaze somehow both hard but still maternal. Red shuffled under her inspection, feeling sweat drip down his skull. He glanced behind her, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sans somewhere in the house without avail. When he looked back up at her, he found her watching him with something alarmingly close to concern.

"Hello dear." She said gently. Her voice was warm, and comforting.

"uh, hi, ma'am." He responded, "i was jus' lookin' fer Sans, yer Majesty. we… we haven' heard from 'im all day."

And there went his accent again, he cleared his throat once, trying to keep himself together in front of the Queen.

Toriel seemed entirely unconcerned with it however, and instead frowned, "You have not? I thought perhaps he would have gone home after visiting Grillby." Her frown turned a bit sharp, "Perhaps he went to visit Asgore after all." It wasn't exactly hard to tell there were some ill feelings between the former rulers of Undertale so Red was pretty sure that the tone was meant for the King.

"Grillby's?" Red latched onto the information that seemed the most likely and nearly turned to leave when he stopped. He turned back and bowed awkwardly, "t-thank yer, yer Majesty."

"Red, dear." A soft hand touched his shoulder and Red jerked upright. Toriel was smiling at him, "You may call me Toriel. I will make some calls of my own. Please let me know when you find him. I will need to inform him of how important it is to keep in touch with one's date-mates."

Red stared up at her in awe, fangs gaping in surprise before he snapped them shut and flushed, "t-thank yer, ma-… uh, Toriel. thanks."

"Your welcome, dear." Toriel's warm eyes looked behind him and she chuckled, "I believe that is your mate, yes?"

Red turned and spotted Edge striding down the sidewalk, eyelights locked on them. The tense line in his shoulders told Red he had spotted nothing wrong, but neither had he found anything promising either. But, he wouldn't have if Sans had been at Grillby's all day. Which baffled Red a bit, because Grillby's was great, he would never turn down some food at Chillby's after all, but _all_ day?

Toriel wished him luck and Red hurried to his brother and they agreed to split up. Edge had more experience dealing with the royals and Red would head to Grillby's.

 

* * *

 

 

Arriving at the pub, he teleported right into the middle of it, startling a Woshua who had been washing a table. Woshua made a bubbling sound and then waved cheerfully. Red waved absently as he headed for the bar. Other than a patron in a booth who seemed to be well on his way to passing out, it was empty. Grillby had looked up at the faint sound of his shortcut and watched him as he approached, polishing one of the many glasses that lined the shelves behind him.

" _…Red…_ " Grillby said in greeting.

"hey, Grillby." Red said in reply, taking a seat despite his agitation. "i know 's pretty close to closing time, sorry."

Grillby regarded him silently before setting the sparkling glass down and taking a bottle of amber liquid from beneath the bar. He poured a decent amount into it and slid it to him. Red blinked, unsure if he was expected to pay or not.

" _… Slow night… You look like you need it…_ " Was his only explanation.

Red wasn't about to complain and downed it in one gulp. Grillby raised the bottle again but Red waved it away as he slid the glass back. A glass was good to settle his frayed nerves but he wanted a clear head.

"yer seen Sans today?" Red asked, not in any mood to beat around the bush. "been lookin' fer him."

Grillby nodded once, "… _Came in earlier… Wanted to talk…_ "

Red tensed as watched two horizontal oval shapes open behind Grillby's glasses, pure white flame with two slits of blue regarding him intently. _Eyes_. Red felt his bones rattle faintly as he felt something not unlike fear. Yet, he didn't feel threatened, only appraised. "o-oh?"

" _… About relationship advice… Among other things…_ " The words were said meaningfully.

Red started to sweat again and it had nothing to do with the fire elemental in front of him. Sans had told Grillby about last night? Well… if Grillby was his best friend then was it that surprising? He couldn't really imagine himself going to Chillby but… they had a weird friendship to begin with.

"did he?" Red said, proud that his voice didn't crack.

Grillby simply watched him steadily, silently.

… _Fuck_ , he could deal with this later, right now he had a missing date-mate to find.

"look, i'm all fer the friend intimidation tactic, but I don' got time fer it right now, okay?" Red groused, rubbing a hand across his sore sockets. "we haven' heard from Sans all day. do yer know where he is?"

There was a beat of silence and then the sound of crackling-laced laughter made Red look up with a scowl. Grillby's 'eyes' had disappeared and he'd begun to clean the glass again.

" _… Yes… I know where he is..._ " Red had the impression that Grillby was smiling at him, " _… I assure you… he is okay…_ "

Red somehow felt a little better from how sure that the fire elemental sounded but despite that he shot back with little heat, "sorry if i don' take yer word fer it."

" _… You need to see for yourself…_ " Grillby said knowingly and Red nodded boldly. A soft whooshing sound, a hum of thought Red recognized, " _… I understand… It may be best… if he has company now anyway…_ "

Red perked up, almost ready to teleport straight out of the chair.

" _… He went to visit his father… in Undertale…_ "

Red deflated slightly, "Sans… his dad stayed in Undertale?"

Grillby's hands slowed to a stop and Red got the distinct feeling he'd said something wrong.

" _… No…_ " The reply was barely a whisper. Red noticed the fire elemental dim just slightly, only noticeable if you had spent time with fire elementals to really see the difference and Red felt guilty. Maybe there had been a falling out between Sans and Papyrus and their dad? Or maybe their dad simply refused to leave the Underground? Some monsters didn't want to come face to face with humans. Grillby might have even known the other skeleton as a friend too. Fire elementals could outlive Boss Monsters, who knew how old Grillby was.

Red slipped off the seat. He had what he came for, it was time to go before he said anything potentially more guilt-inducing.

"thanks, Grillby. i'm… i'm glad Sans has a friend like yer." Red managed to mumble before shortcutting away.

He faintly heard the sound Grillby's crackling laugh before he left and felt a little bit better.

 

* * *

 

 

Red landed near Undertale's entrance and stopped just long enough to call his brother's phone. Something about the magic in the Undergrounds blocked signals from passing between them and the Surface unless specially modified to do so. Alphys had suspected it had something to do with the lingering energy from the Barriers but even knowing why, modifying phones for that purpose wasn't exactly a big priority or easy to do.

He cursed as it went to voicemail and left a brief message to let Edge know where he was and that he was heading for Snowdin first. It was the first place he could think of. Sans had lived in Snowdin and so maybe that was where he would go to… visit his dad?

Red made his way into the Underground and felt the familiar prickle of subjugation run down his spine. Every Underground had a residual feeling like this and Red was only more eager to find Sans and bring him home.

He arrived in Snowdin after nearly two hours. He didn't know how different Undertale was from Underfell but he found it to be disconcertingly similar. Not enough to inspire confidence in shortcutting around but still, it made him wonder. And despite riling himself up to fight anyone he encountered, the few monsters he came across were more than helpful in pointing him in the direction of Snowdin. One had even asked if he was there to go see Sans which had him nodding and sprinting with renewed energy in the direction they pointed. It meant that Sans was really down here.

 

 

Strangely enough, Riverperson had been waiting for him.

"tralalala~ your actions are proving more than you think."

So Red had to deal with that cryptic message too. Fucking fantastic.

 

 

Reaching Snowdin, he found it mostly deserted but the general upkeep was homey. When he wasn't worried out of his skull, he would have to ask Sans to come back with him. He would love to see where Sans and his brother grew up.

He found two drakes playing in the snow together. Well one of them was, the other was leaning against a large sign that said 'Welcome to Snowdin'. He stopped in front of them and asked them if they'd seen Sans.

"Sans? Yeah, he came by a couple hours ago. Taught me some new puns!" Snowdrake giggled excitedly, eyes brightening. Chilldrake shook his head, smiling Red noticed, and pointed in the direction of the forest. Red thanked them and set out.

Luckily the artificial snow hadn't fallen hard lately and he managed to find a set of footprints still visible. He followed them into the depths of the forest and Red felt his defenses rise. Memories of the forest back in Underfell were not kind and he couldn't help himself from igniting the red glow in his left eyelight stronger.

It was maybe twenty minutes into walking that Red finally heard something in the deafening silence. Soft inaudible murmurs that he followed and he gave a sigh when he got close enough to identify it as Sans' voice.

He caught sight of his date-mate from a fair distance away. Sans had not heard him approaching, Red would have been surprised if he had. Underfell had taught its residents that stealth was your best friend when fighting was not an option. Sans was just sitting in the middle of a small clear area of the forest, snow piled on him from where he had likely not moved, legs kicked out in front of him as he looked up at the cavern's ceiling.

As Red moved closer he could finally make out what Sans' was saying.

"… and i introduced them to a few things me and Paps do. i really think they liked it."

Red slowed. Even through his panic, he could tell by Sans' tone that this was something important. He took cover behind a tree so that he did not interrupt but leaned around it so he could listen.

"they're really nice." It sounded like something Sans had said before and Red realized belatedly, that the 'them' and 'they're' was referring to himself and his brother. "they… treat me real good and they love me a lot. i… i really like them too…"

Red could slowly feel his fear and panic abating as he listened intently to Sans' soft murmurs to the air. Clenching a hand over his jacket, over his Soul, he felt it pulse erratically at Sans' pseudo confession.

"i think you would have liked them. Red's such a nerd, you two would have got along so well… and Edge reminds me of you sometimes. you and Pap, just so cool and strong…. i wish you could have met them dad…"

Dad? Red glanced around the trees but like before he could not spot anyone. A frown tugged at his fangs as he reconsidered the situation. Sans' wasn't even looking at any given place, in fact he mostly had his sockets closed and when they opened his gaze wandered. He was talking to the air, or rather the memory of his dad. The artificial nighttime seemed darker as he wondered if Sans and Papyrus' father had dusted here.

Unable to take the sorrow in his date-mate's voice anymore, Red came out from behind the tree, allowing his feet to crunch loudly in the snow. Sans tensed where he was sitting on the ground and at first Red was undeterred.

Sans looked so small, tinier than ever sitting in the snow, covered in the fluffy white from being stationary for so long, and sounding so forlorn. With small sniffling sounds that Red hoped meant that Sans wasn't crying, yet. Red only wanted to envelope their littlest into a hug and never let him go.

And he meant to. Until Sans disappeared with a soft crack and Red felt his spine straighten as every finely tuned instinct in his body told him there was something dangerous behind him. Red turned sharply, claws ready to pull his jagged bones from the air and froze.

Sans stood in front of him, expression set into a wide grin with one socket empty and the other illuminating the area with its eyelight burning a bright and _powerful_ blue. Golden specks flickered in the eyelight and they were breathtaking. Red dropped his offensive stance as he took the moment to take in everything about his date-mate who he had never seen be aggressive before.

But here, in this moment, Red felt the power and sheer exuding pressure from Sans' presence, simply standing in front of him.

 _'Stars, was it wrong to feel turned on right now?'_ Red cursed to himself.

All of that introspection lasted the few seconds it took Sans to recognize him. Then he blinked, backing up a step and the 'pressure' that had filled the area simply… left. Sans suddenly seemed smaller again, familiar soft white eyelights peering up at him in confusion.

"Red? what are you doing down here?"

Red could have asked what that had been. Could have asked how strong Sans really was because that display and feeling from before spoke of _power_. But instead, he told himself it didn't matter right now because he had been searching for the small skeleton in front of him for hours, fearing for his well-being.

Nothing else mattered right now except…

Red closed the distance between them and gathered Sans up into a hug. Then held him tightly as he buried his face into Sans' neck, finally allowing his body and magic to relax with his littlest in his arms. He heard himself whine softly.

"Red?" Sans questioned, his voice muffled into his shoulder, "are you okay?"

" _stars_ , jus' lemme hold yer sweetheart." He did not fucking sob.

Sans' arms wrapped around him tightly and he heard the smaller skeleton make a quiet agreeing sound. He'd been worrying about it all day, but in the aftermath, Red was surprised by his own reaction. He hadn't realized just how scared he'd been until he had Sans back in his arms. Seems he hadn’t left behind Underfell as much as he thought he had.

They stood there for Stars knew how long and Red knew that Sans would have let him hold him longer still except Sans had asked curiously if Edge was somewhere nearby too. Red cursed under his breath wetly as he dug out his phone, then swore again as he realized they'd have to wait until they got out of the Underground to get a compatible signal.

"i didn't mean to worry you." Sans whispered once Red had put his phone away. He shuffled his pink sneakers in the snow. Red sighed, drawing him into a one-armed hug.

"maybe next time yer can leave us a text 'r somethin'?" He felt echoes of the sick feeling he'd had earlier in the evening and hid a shudder. He'd would really like to avoid that again.

Sans looked up at him, brows furrowed in confusion, "i did?"

Red frowned in return, once more drawing his phone out and accessing his messages, "sweetheart, i don' have anythin' from yer since yesterday."

Sans pulled out his phone too and tapped the screen a few times. His face paled ashen a bit, "it didn't send? …oh no. i sent it at the top of Mt. Ebott… the signal must have cut before it went to you. oh, Stars, Red i'm so sorry!"

"hey, s'okay sweetheart." Red was quick to reassure. And it… really was okay. Seeing the text message on Sans' phone with the small alert that signaled it had been unable to be sent was a surprising comfort. Sans hadn't meant to make them worry. Red had known that the entire time, it wasn't in his littlest. "i found yer, s'okay now." Nonetheless, Red was still feeling a little anxious and now he had a heavy feeling of exhaustion settling into his bones.

"h-how did you figure out i was down here?"

Red winced at the memory. "i-i, uh, went to Grillby's an' he told me yer went to see yer dad…"

Sans' expression fell, somberly glancing around again. His eyelights never lingered anywhere in particular but the sorrow was there. "… yeah. wanted to tell him about you guys."

"is… did he dust…?" Even as he asked, Red slightly regretted opening his mouth. There was no good way to ask that question. In Underfell… you mostly assumed and most of the time you were right anyway.

Sans' expression didn't change but as he glanced up at Red, he could see something that was… not quite grief in his eyelights. Then he looked down at the snow as he mumbled. "it… it's complicated." Sans paused before sighing, "can i tell you about it later? with Edge? i… don't like to talk about it."

Red was relieved. That the subject was being dropped when he was in no good condition to follow it and that Sans was planning to tell them about it at all. "no problem sweetheart. are yer ready to go? Edge is probably on his way up the mountain by now."

Sans nodded, then paused, "um, one second." Red let Sans go as his littlest walked a few paces away, back to where he had been sitting. Hunching over with his hands in his pockets, he heard him whisper, "wherever you are dad… I miss you… and so does Papyrus, even if… i love you dad… talk to you later."

When Sans finally turned and walked back over to him, Red happily accepted the hand held out and they walked through the Underground in contented silence.

 

Once they cleared the mountain, Sans called Edge. Red could only hear the tense undertones of his brother's voice but Sans soothed him as much as he could over the phone by promising that he was perfectly fine and that they would be home in a few minutes. Red was asked for and Red promised his brother that they were both fine, _really_.

"Good. Come home **now**." Edge said firmly and Red grinned.

"yer got it Boss. see yer in a bit."

Handing the phone back, he held out his hand and grasped Sans' tightly. "yer sleepin' with us tonight."

It wasn't exactly up for debate but Sans' stunning tired smile told him he hadn't thought once about refusing anyway. With a contented grin, Red teleported them straight home where Edge was waiting to scoop them both up into his protective embrace. Sans would apologize and Edge would silently forgive him as they all piled on the couch to comfort each other in all the ways they needed.

' _thank Stars…_ ' Red thought as he fell asleep, his claws still tightly wound with Sans'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	20. Dec 18 - Holiday Sickness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood Reading Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFVVQrA2ys  
> Small notes that are helpful but unable to fit into the story (yet) are at the bottom.

On the 18th of December, Red woke up four times.

The first time Red woke up he knew there was something wrong. He cracked his sockets open and could feel the migraine pounding away at his skull with a sledgehammer. He felt sweaty, confined in the blanket that had been wrapped around him sometime in the night. It had to have been Edge, he thought groggily, though he could not sense his brother nearby at the moment. Raising a weak hand to paw at his face, he made a muffled noise of discontent.

Where _was_ his brother? Was it already morning? He dragged the blanket down slightly from where it obscured his vision and winced. The early dawn's light peeked past the Christmas tree to sting at his eyelights and he groaned as he turned his head into the cushions. Even that small motion made Red feel dizzy.

He felt someone shift against his back and he heard and felt the soft breathing against his neck.

 _Sans_.

Memories of the day before, the fear and the relief, all came rushing back and nearly sent Red spiraling back into unconsciousness. Ignoring his migraine and the protesting ache in his bones, he turned over to tuck Sans into his arms. He cursed the weak feeling in his arms and resorted to clinging closer to Sans instead. It was not the best, but it helped to settle his nerves.

Until he heard the sound of the front door opening.

The position of the couch had Red unable to see it and his instincts, knowing he was sick and vulnerable but his date-mate was sleeping in his arms, had him growling the moment he registered the creak of wood.

There was silence and Red squinted, glowering and growling as he tried to look around. His vision swam but he finally managed to grip Sans tuck him firmly under his chin. He rattled his bones slightly, unable to summon a more aggressive front, as the sound of clicking slowly approached.

There was a soft murmur from his date-mate secured against his chest. He couldn't hear it over the odd pulsing sound in his skull. He only knew someone, something was nearby and… and… it was reaching for them!

A hand snared his chin just as he snapped his fangs viciously at the black blur that dared to come at him. It was firm and he snarled, jerking his head and sending his eyelights guttering out from the pain in his skull. A loud voice, raspy and familiar to the part of him that knew he was safe and overreacting was speaking. He heard a louder call of what sounded like his name from Sans as hands pushed against his chest.

' _no… gotta… keep 'im safe._ ' Red thought sluggishly and he gave a stronger jerk against the hand. Pain lanced up and down his neck, spreading across his shoulders and blooming throughout his skull. He felt two pulses of alarm surge against him and knew no more as he blissfully fell unconscious.

 

* * *

 

 

The second time he woke up, it was quiet and dark.

Red blinked wearily up at the living room ceiling as he struggled to recollect why he felt the way he did. He tried to shift and winced as a dull throb of pain blossomed behind his forehead.

' _shit…_ ' He was fucking sick, wasn't he?

He sighed as he closed his sore sockets. To be honest, his situation didn't surprise him. It had been years since Red had been consumed with such fear and panic, as well as such an extensive use of shortcutting and magic. He had been stretched thin yesterday and he was suffering for it today. His magic was strong, devastatingly so, but his reserves and endurance had never been much to boast about. Overexerting himself as he had, he tended to get sick as a result.

As he remembered, he also recalled the delirious mess he had been… shit, what time was it _now_? The living room was dark from the drapes being drawn but the faint halo of light around it told him it was daylight. Of today or if he'd passed out until the next day he didn't know. He'd have to ask his brother or Sans.

After he apologized for his episode. Guilt and shame for his behavior roiled in his magic, making him feel even more horrible. He'd never handled being sick well, feeling and _being_ vulnerable like this was a death sentence back in Underfell.

This was just another reminder of his own failure to let go of the Underfell way of life. He was being stupid, he _knew_ he was safe; because he was swaddled in a warm blanket that carried the scent of 'family' on a soft couch in his littlest's house where he _knew_ that Edge would not be far away after discovering his sickly state. That his little brother was not next to him was actually a surprise.

Guiltily he wondered if Edge was tending to Sans. He'd fallen unconscious after his fit and he had to wonder how Sans had reacted to it.

He was beginning to doze again when he felt a refreshing coolness lay against his forehead. He opened one of his sockets a bit, intending to thank his brother for bringing him a cloth, but found that it was Sans standing there instead. And a quick glance upwards told him there was no cloth, only his hand resting against his skull.

Sans was frowning slightly, looking between his hand and the kitchen a few times. He didn't seem to notice that Red was awake. Red briefly wondered how he didn't notice, their 'eyes' glowed after all, until he realized that as this was a magical exhaustion induced sickness, his eyelights likely wouldn't be ignited.

As he debated whether to give in to sleep or let Sans know he was awake, the hand lifted from his forehead and he immediately decided that, that wouldn't do. He intended to snatch Sans' hand in the air. Unfortunately, not only did his hand snag against the blanket but the aborted motion ended when he accidentally knocked his fist against his own chin.

"ow…"

"Red?" Sans yelped, leaning over him worriedly. Red shuddered as Sans' cool hands gently touched at his face, "are you okay? h-how are you feeling?"

He would answer but he only wanted one thing at the moment. Struggling to free his hand, he laid his hand across Sans', forcing it to lay flat against his cheek. Sighing happily, he nuzzled against its coolness, "mmnnnn… feels nice…"

Sans seemed startled but laid his other hand on Red's other cheek hesitantly, "… i-is this okay?"

Red gave a throaty purr, "perfect… sweetheart…"

"Brother, are you awake?"

Red lazily looked around until he found his brother moving around Sans to kneel beside him, "… hi bro…"

The stern expression on Edge's face softened at his rarely used term of acknowledgement. He rested a hand on his chest, right above his Soul and spoke quietly, "You woke up this morning, sick from overusing your magical reserves. My entrance agitated you in your condition, but you did nothing except try to keep Sans safe. You passed out and have been sleeping for four hours. It is currently noon."

Red absorbed the information given to him as fast he could through his groggy mind and when he finally did, he relaxed into the cushions with a low groan. Cool hands gently caressed the sides of his head as they began to emit a soft green glow and he glanced up at Sans who smiling down at him, lovingly.

"thanks. f-for the thought."

Red beamed weakly, "always gonna… protect yer sweetheart… my sweetheart…" He could tell he was falling back to sleep, hearing his own voice beginning to slur.

"shh…" Sans hushed as his sockets lost the fight to stay open, his fingers massaging circles on his skull, easing the pain and lulling him deeper down. He searched for Sans with his free hand and felt his brother's leather gloves instead.

"Go to sleep, brother. We will be here when you wake up."

Red tightened his grip on Edge's hand and surrendered.

 

* * *

 

 

He didn't really wake up even though he knew his sockets had opened. Through sickness and sleep, he remembered moments. Some of them with Edge, some with Sans, but mostly there were both of them close by attentively with cool hands and green magic and soothing words. Red drifted with the knowledge of his mate and date-mate taking care of him.

 

* * *

 

 

The third time he woke up, for real this time, Edge had obviously moved him. His head was resting on his brother's lap, leather-covered fingers running down his skull soothingly. He might have just closed his sockets again when Edge suddenly tapped the side of his head gently.

"Good evening, brother. It is nearly seven."

Red sighed. His body still ached and he still felt weak as fuck. But his head wasn't pounding in pain anymore so at least that was an improvement.

"Are you ready to eat something?" Edge questioned as he helped Red rise into a sitting position slowly. Red breathed a sigh of relief when the pain still didn't return and took a moment to consider his condition. Monster food, whether it was HP food or not, was a surefire way to regain magic fast but when monsters, or skeletons at least, consumed too much too soon it could be rejected. Personally, he always felt he had to wait hours until he felt any stirring of hunger. He was feeling pretty good now though, so he nodded.

"heh, sure… yer food always makes me feel better, Boss."

Edge smirked slightly, "Flattering. You'll have to make do with someone else's though as I've been acting as your personal pillow for the last hour."

He was confused only for a minute until he gaped, "S-Sans? h-he-"

"Cooks? Yes." Edge said with a chuckle, "It was a surprise."

One of many, apparently. Red could still remember how Sans had been in Undertale, dangerous and beautiful. How many more secrets were in their littlest?

"Red?"

They both looked over to see Sans peeking into the living room. Their littlest smiled brightly at seeing him awake and Red grinned back tiredly, "hi sweetheart."

"Would you bring him some dinner, dear? He believes he can eat now." Edge asked and Sans nodded quickly as he ducked back out of view.

"did yer try any yet?" Red asked curiously as they listened to the clatter of bowls and utensils in the kitchen.

"No." Edge seemed amused, "He was adamant that I remain here and that you try it first."

Sans walked out of the kitchen with a bowl in his hands and two more floating behind him. The rich smell of herbs followed him and filled the air with its delicious aroma. Sans handed Red the bowl hesitantly, "here…" he mumbled, handing the other to Edge and keeping the last one for himself as he sat down on the other side of Red. He fiddled with his spoon, glancing over at them nervously. Waiting.

Red looked down at the bowl and would have salivated if he had the magic to spare. It was a stew, Red thought, and it looked good. Better than good, it looked perfect. The vegetables had been soaked in the broth long enough to take on it's golden hue slightly and the chunks of meat were so tender they looked ready to fall apart when he poked one with his spoon.

He wondered why Sans had never cooked before… but with Edge's territorial behavior around the kitchen, maybe it made sense. He eagerly collected a spoonful and raised it to his mouth. He realized something in the second between the spoon being outside of his mouth and inside of his mouth. Looks didn't necessarily mean edible. Everyone had fallen prey to Papyrus' famous spaghetti at least once. The aspiring chef could cook exotic foods like a pro but the simple recipe seemed beyond the cheerful skeleton's grasp. The thing was… it _looked_ great. It looked like it belonged in a five-star restaurant; it just tasted like _dying_ more than half the time.

Did that particular skill run in the family?

Red couldn't help screwing his sockets shut as he ate the spoonful… and nearly melted at the taste. It was as delicious as it smelled. And as he suspected, the meat was so tender and each vegetable was a burst of flavor and Red had taken four more bites before he realized he hadn't said anything.

"sweetheart, this is amazin'!" Red praised and watched Sans flush as he sipped on his own spoonful. Beside him, Edge made a soft, pleased sound and Red knew his brother was impressed.

Initial surprise gone, Red continued to eat and as he did he noticed the warmth slowly infusing in his bones and magic. Red blushed as he continued to eat, feeling completely flattered as he realized that it was Intent. A quick glance at Edge showed a slight crimson hue on his face as well. His brother glanced at him and smiled slightly, even more pleased than before.

Red's next bite was savored. Now that he was paying attention, he could feel it. It was subtle, as shy as it's owner but still strong and it impressed upon him _affection/concern/care/protect_.

Those feelings flooded his Soul and if Red were alone he might have burst into tears. It was so _good_. He would remember this feeling, he promised himself. Intent didn't lie and Sans' Intent told him that Sans loved him, them.

They ate in comfortable silence, each of them basking in each other's happiness, albeit Red's sleepy happiness. The rich food was comforting in more than one way and a full stomach was a sure way to make him tired, illness notwithstanding.

And by all rights, Red didn't expect anything more from Sans' food. It had already given him enough.

So, he was surprised when he finished it and licked his spoon clean. Comically, he stared down at his conjured tongue in surprise.

"tha' fuc'?" He muttered around his tongue, confused now. He couldn't have conjured a tongue, not in his condition. Ecto-flesh was a luxury of magic for a skeleton, unneeded and frivolous really. He needed to restore his reserves and even after that there was still a considerable amount of magic to return until he was back to normal levels!

Right? Red dispelled his tongue and shifted, taking stock of his body. He felt… okay. His aches were all but gone, how had he missed that? His head felt clearer despite feeling ready for another nap. He just felt really good. Maybe it was the remnants of Sans' Intent-infused food but a quick Check and test of his magical reserves had him jerking to stare at Sans, stunned.

His HoPe had risen to 11/10, his magic nearly _singing_ in its fullness, and he might have wondered if the fracture above his socket was healing as well if he didn't know it was a permanent mark.

"sweetheart… is this… is this HP food?" Edge went still beside him, he could feel his brother Checking himself, but he only had eyelights for their littlest who blushed and nodded silently, still sipping at his half-full bowl.

"um, i just wanted you to feel better. you got sick because you came looking for me and… i thought it would help?" Sans glanced over at him unsurely, "did it?"

Red floated his bowl to the table and pulled Sans close, careful of the bowl in his date-mate's hands, looking him in the eye as he spoke, grateful down to his Soul, and winked, "it was _soup_ -er." Then laid a kiss on his forehead, mumbling, "thank yer, sweetheart."

Sans laughed, adorably blue, then glanced down at his own stew with a smile, "i'm glad."

Red released Sans and settled against his shoulder as he hummed contentedly, feeling full and feeling loved. He knew by the look on his little brother's face that he was torn between relaxing into the lingering Intent from their date-mate and interrogating Sans on his skill at cooking. Red chuckled and grabbed his brother's hand, squeezing it.

Edge released a breath and squeezed back as he reclined against the cushions. "It was remarkable, dear." He praised honestly and Sans bashfully grinned as he finished his last bite and put his bowl on the table as well.

"thank you. it's been a long time since i made Full HP food, i was afraid it wouldn't work."

A beat of silence where both Fell brothers stared at Sans who obliviously began pulling at the blanket bunched up at his end of the couch.

"Full HP…" Edge echoed faintly.

That explained some things, Red thought hysterically. Full HP food explained why he had nearly regained all of his magic and his HoPe's bursting levels. It was powerful stuff. And made right, it could easily restore a magical-exhausted monster back to near-peak levels.

He glanced at the kitchen, where he pictured a whole pot of Full HP stew was likely still simmering. It was more akin to a pot of gold; more than that! If they were still in Underfell… shit, Sans would have been snatched up in a blink. It was hard enough to make a decent HP meal, it took work and skill to make Full HP food. And a considerable amount of magic to be given.

Red could count the number of monsters he knew who could do it on one hand, and that didn't count Boss Monsters. Evidently, he was adding Sans to the list.

Edge stood up, swiftly returning to the kitchen with the dirty dishes in one hand. Sans called out for him in confusion but Red understood. Their date-mate had worked hard on this generous meal, healing them with his love and magic whether they needed it like Red, or not at all. The Underfell instincts demanded they hide it away, make sure it was stored safely, so they didn't waste it.

Red latched onto Sans, clinging to him as he nuzzled his neck, "so _good_ to us, sweetheart." he growled.

"R-Red!" Sans stuttered but Red could feel Sans' happiness in the way he snuggled closer a bit.

Red wasn't sure Sans would understand why this all had meant so much. Wasn't entirely sure he could explain it himself. Stars… he was so in love with this shy skeleton.

Red fell asleep somewhere between Sans and himself toppling over against the arm of the couch and Edge returning to cover them both with a blanket.

 

* * *

 

 

The last time he woke up, it was night, the halo of light around the still drawn curtains completely gone. The tree had been lit and Red was glad to see the sparkling, cheerful lights did not irritate in the least. Squirming from where he was laying, he realized that once more, his head was in Edge's lap and so was Sans. Their littlest was under the same blanket as him, tucked in together. Red huffed a laugh when his squirming led to Sans making a small noise that sounded like a complaint before burrowing deeper under the blanket until only the top of his skull was visible. Shaking his head, he glanced up to see Edge reclining with his sockets closed, perhaps dozing before, but Red knew he was awake when the hand that had been laid on his shoulder moved to brush against his neck and the collar around it before slowly stroking his skull rhythmically.

The order was clear and Red happily followed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELPFUL NOTES  
> \- Edge is 7 feet tall. Red reaches Edge's ribcage and Sans reaches to Edge's hipbones.  
> \- In this fic, the skeletons are all their own skeletons. No AU versions.  
> \- In this fic, there were multiple underground prisons (I actually find it hard to believe that humans got all the monsters in the world into one mountain in one place so... yeah.) and each one kind of turned out like an AU. The Fell brothers came from an Underground Prison where things became 'kill or be killed'. I'm keeping this real vague, this isn't a heavy plot point and won't be in the future.


	21. Dec 19 - Day Christmas Party - Intermission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important message at the bottom! Please read!
> 
> btw, apologies for this chapter, I had a plan for this chapter, I swear I did. then I started writing it and was just like, wth am I even doing right now? where is this chapter going? I know exactly what i'm doing in chapter 22 why are you doing this to me chapter 21, why damnit!?!?!?!?!?

"-and it didn't send before I crossed into Mount Ebott so they didn't know where I was." Sans finished and waited quietly for his friend's response.

Toriel had pulled him aside as soon as he'd passed Frisk's present for her into their hands. Sans bemusedly let himself be basically picked up and taken all the way into her room, waving at his stunned date-mates as they passed them. She'd sat him down and he'd silently allowed her to berate him for causing them so much worry. He was glad someone was giving him this talk to be honest. He really should have checked his phone; all this could have been avoided if he'd just waited.

"I understand, dear." Sans glanced up at Toriel and she gave him a gentle smile before pulling him into a hug. It felt nice and Sans hugged her back. "I approve of them."

"huh?"

Toriel pulled away, smoothing out her beautiful holiday dress, "Your date-mates. I approve of them." Her smile turned inexplicably fond, "Red was so incredibly anxious for you. I knew they would find you, I could see it in their Souls. I am glad you have them in your life, my friend."

Sans felt his Soul warm from the praise he had no idea would mean so much. He nodded to her words and added, "me too. i… hope i always do. have them i mean."

"I am sure you will." Toriel assured with complete self-confidence.

They sat in a companionable silence for another few minutes until Toriel stood up and sighed, "Well… I suppose we should return. We have been gone far too long."

Sans nodded, jumping down from the bed and sticking his hands in his pockets. He followed Toriel to the door and waited for her to leave first. When she did not open the door right away he looked up in slight confusion. She had a hand over her mouth, looking like she had remembered something wicked.

Cautiously, Sans asked, "uh, Tori? you alright there?"

The resulting grin he got was impish.

"Oh, I am fine! I simply remembered the after-party that is planned at Grillby's establishment tonight. I am sure someone _else_ will be having some words for you as well." Toriel said primly, smiling down at him with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

Sans groaned at the reminder. That was right, Red had mentioned he'd been told where to find him by Grillby. And he couldn't not go to the Christmas party at Grillby's tonight. Not only would he be unable to look Grillby in the eye ever again but Papyrus would find out and give him that look that made Sans cave and do unspeakable things in the name of forgiveness. He could almost smell all the cleaning chemicals now…

"geeze… looks like the _grill_ ing ain't over yet." Sans said with a wink and Toriel opened the door as she laughed heartily. It cut off with a surprised gasp and a girlish giggle.

"Oh my, it seems someone has been missing you."

Sans peeked around the doorframe. Red was loitering around the end of the hall that led to the living room. He was watching something with a small smirk but he looked very distracted. The quick glance down toward them and then back revealed the source. Red's sockets widened as he jerked his gaze back down the hall, no doubt realizing the door was open now.

He glanced up at Toriel and she chuckled, "Let us go rejoin the party. I must check on my guests and you have a date-mate to return too."

Sans grinned up at her, "thanks Tori." And quickly headed toward Red who was looking between him and Toriel with a curious light in his sockets. It disappeared as Sans slotted himself against his side and cooed, "don't be jealous."

Red scoffed, "please. as if i'd be jealous of the Queen of Monsterkind. c'mon sweetheart." An arm wrapped around his shoulder and pulled him back to the party. "Boss and Undyne are trying to one out each other in daring stories of their awesomeness. i think they're about two stories away from reenacting them."

Sans laughed and they dove into the heart of the crowd in order to save the party from the two competitive Captain of the Guards and thus save everyone the rage of a protective Mama Boss Monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Not to worry, I will not be discontinuing this fic. I adore it too much! Unfortunately I believe I will be putting it on hold until November-ish. It's already February and I feel like it would be better to return to this later, when it's in season again. In the meantime, I can continue to write these chapters out through the year and put them to a schedule when the time comes.
> 
> I have two Valentine works in progress right now (one of which is nearly finished and the other I need to devote some time too). Thank you everyone for being so kind to me and these adorably fluffy skellies and we'll see you next winter!


	22. Vote Complete

Thank you everyone for your support and interest in my story! So, the consensus is **Continue** without a doubt. Didn't get a single December. This will be continued as I update and write.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your love guys!

 

 

 

 

 

 

( _hell, i'm keeping this chapter because every time i see how many Continues i got, i'm inspired all over again. :3_ )


	23. Chapter Updated!

 

**Chapter 6 is now Rewritten and Updated!**

 

i was asked to update the chapter so that people could get an alert about the new updates as they came out. if this is not officially allowed within the site's rules, the deleting and reposting of chapters in order to give out alerts, please let me know and i will not do it anymore. otherwise, enjoy!

and if you review the chapter, please leave them on the updated chapter (in this case chapter 6) as they will be deleted on this one!

 

( _old message and information about future updates_ )

**I**

**I**

**I**

**I**

**I**

**V**

 

 

 

hello everyone!

before you are disappointed with the lack of a chapter here, please let me explain.

I am still here. I am still writing and have no doubts that I will finish this fic. anyone who was following anything I posted in general here on a03 saw works still being written.

I wanna start with how blown away I was about how many people wanted me to just continue with this fic no matter that it was now out of season. I was so happy to see the sheer amount of you! I have a plan for this fic now and something of a gift for all of you for your patience. (although whether you consider it a gift is debatable I suppose as it still depends on your patience. :3 )

I will be rewriting the chapters posted so far. the story nor the characters will be changing. everyone is aware of the chapter-a-day fics we do and if you adhere to the time restraints, everyone with personal experience knows the feeling, then sometimes you are forced to trim or cut away scenes you otherwise would have written 500 words about. I wasn't always happy with what I posted but I was content with it. now I want to make this something I can grin at. you've all told me you're willingness to forgo the time of year for a Christmas themed story so I want to give you my best!

I already have the first two chapters done. they are going through a edit/grammar run now and will be posted soon!

if anyone is still waiting on this story I thank you for sticking this out with me!

for more information about what will happen and why such a delay occurred, or if you have any questions, you can go to my tumblr where I will also be posting chapter upload alerts since a03 cannot give you any alerts for replaced chapters on pre-existing stories! the link is directly below or it should be in the End Note below that!

[BlueDysania](http://bluedysania.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> Questions, Comments, and Requests at [BlueDysania](http://bluedysania.tumblr.com/).


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